Summer Camp
by J.Alberghini
Summary: As animosity grows between counselors and campers, Catherine may have found what she long ago thought she lost.
1. Going Away Relena

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing, and all its characters, does not belong to me

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing, and all its characters, does not belong to me. 

**Summer Camp**

Going Away: Relena

Relena sat pretzel-legged on the corner of her pink and white-checked bedspread. Her elbow was perched on the suitcase next to her, which was nearly empty, except for one book her mother had tossed in before realizing nothing was there. Here head rested on her hand as she gazed emotionlessly at her mother and father. Ms. Darlian sat in a white swivel desk chair across from her daughter, while her husband stood behind her, a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Her face hurt from trying to smile all morning and holding back tears caused by her daughter's lack of anger, lack of enthusiasm, and the silence that she'd hoped was gone.

Relena tapped her fingers against her chin, waiting for them to speak. But they seemed to have run out their speeches. She sighed and decided to give in partly.

"I thought we were going on a vacation _together_," she said, looking directly at her father. 

"Well, dear," he began. She sighed, knowing what he was about to say. "I'm afraid I have a lot of work to do this summer. Next year."

Relena bit her index finger to hide her pout. She heard these words every single June: "Next year." She hated them, especially the word "next." "Next birthday, I'll be home." "Next first day of school I'll take you." "Next trip to space, you'll come with me." That last one was the only one that ever happened. But it really didn't mean much anyway, except a few days off from school. She was used to this, however much she loathed it. But what were worse were the other two words from last year that echoed in her mind; "I promise." He'd promised her they'd have a summer as a family for a change and he broke it. Perhaps it wasn't his fault; his job was important, even if she didn't exactly understand it. He was important to the world. But was she that important to him? Sometimes, Relena didn't think so.

Her mother took her hands in her own. "You're going to have so much fun," she said with the last amount of encouragement she could muster. "I'm sure you'll love camp."

Relena kept on her mask, but inside she scowled. It was worse than staying home for the whole summer. Like having to go to school. Not that Relena had anything against school itself. It would have been fine, but for the people. Those other rich children as spoiled as she, or as others believed she was. The ones who scorned a quiet, mysterious boy who was poor, while worshipping her because she was rich, although just as mysterious and quiet as he was, in her own way. She secretly hated to be around those girls, her so called "friends." They didn't care about her any, just like she didn't care about them. Not like real friends would. 

Ms. Darlian's face fell, feeling hopeless. She knew her daughter wasn't really close to anyone, even if she did speak again, but she didn't know the reason why. She wanted her daughter to have friends, just like any other mother. But the idea seemed foreign to Relena.

"I bet you'll become friends with lots of nice girls your age," she hinted, not very subtly. 

Relena arched her eyebrow, pushing her suitcase over so she wouldn't fall off her bed. Judging by her father's bank account, those girls would probably be just like the ones at school. If those were the "friends" she could afford, she would rather be an ordinary, middle-class thirteen-year old, instead of Miss Relena, the Vice Foreign Minister's daughter.

Her parents exchanged looks. Minister Darlian shrugged his shoulders, and motioned for his wife for them to leave. "Pagan will come help you pack," he said wearily. He pushed his wife into the hall, closing the door all but an inch behind them. Relena didn't bat an eye, but that didn't mean she wasn't listening.

"Are you sure we should send her to this camp?" she heard her mother whisper. "I don't think she'll have fun, and, anyway, it's dangerous." 

Relena could see her father shaking his head. "She'll be perfectly safe. I know not everyone sees eye to eye with me, but it has nothing to do with her, even if there are soldiers there."

Relena stepped quietly off her bed and crouched by the door so she could hear them better. She wasn't so sure what her father said was true. She had been almost kidnapped before because of him. 

"But what if they find out…" her mother mumbled something she wasn't able to catch. 

"They won't." He cupped her chin in his hands. "Don't worry about her."  
"I'll try not to," her mother said. She saw them walk away and slowly disappear down the stairs. A moment later, a pair of shoes appeared under the door. It opened, bumping her nose and knocking her on her butt.

"Miss Relena, are you all right?" Pagan asked. He knelt down next to her. She nodded quickly. Pagan had worked for them since she could remember, and it was always clear that she could trust him. A lot of things Relena asked him were things she couldn't ask her own parents, usually because it was about them. Nine times out of ten he was completely honest with her. 

"Is this camp dangerous?" she asked flat out. 

"Well…" He paused. "Sit down, Miss Relena."  
"I am," she retorted impatiently. 

Than I guess I'd better." He sat on his heels. "I agree with your father, I don't think they'll harm you." She hid a small smile. He knew she eavesdropped, but he would never scold her. "Unless, of course, camp food is even worse than it's made out to be and you'll get food poisoning." Relena giggled. "Otherwise, I believe your mother is overreacting. But that's what mothers are for, right? I'm suspect even you'll be like that someday." His eyes twinkled. 

Relena gagged. "Me? A mother? As if. No way am I going to be some debutante and spend my time doing nothing but taking care of my perfect little kids and giving dinner parties, not me. A) I'm going to do something important with my life, something exciting. Don't ask me what yet, but I am. And b), I'm marrying and having children for love and only love. Social standing doesn't matter, I'm certainly not going to end up marrying someone like one of those stuffy, money-loving losers who only cares about how many yachts he can buy and wouldn't know adventure if it came up to him and smacked him in the face."

Pagan laughed, even though he knew she was dead serious. He didn't doubt that she would make it happen either. Her parents may have been grouped with that crowd, but they were mostly not like that and weren't raising their daughter to be. And if Relena knew how important and exciting her life was and could be… well, Pagan had a feeling she wouldn't believe him yet. Right now, the only excitement she could find was in her books. 

"Let's start packing now, shall we?"  
Relena stood up, groaning, still not looking forward to the summer. Adventure seemed a long way off. But, like they say in fairy tales, things are never what they seem. 


	2. Going Away Heero

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing does not belong to me

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing does not belong to me. 

Going Away- Heero

The old, gray-haired, clawed engineer stood back and admired his paint job of the tall metal pillar before him. His claw held a fat-bristled brush. An empty bucket of white paint was lying at his feet. Dr. J smiled, pleased with himself, at his finished handiwork, which towered over him. Everything was ready. Now it was time to get down to business. 

He stroked his beard thoughtfully. It was all done, but one factor wasn't present. Without it, all his work would be useless. _No matter how hard you try,_ he mused; _you can't seem to get anywhere without humans._ Bidding his creation a fond farewell, so that the paint could dry in peace, he set out to find that missing piece. He fumbled in his coat pocket and pulled out a miniature black remote. His good thumb clicked a button multiple times, like a person channel surfing, only at an open doorway instead of a big screen television. There was a loud creak of rusted metal as a heavy door slowly descended to the ground. Clearly not taking any chances, Dr. J pressed another button and a thick metal chain-linked fence came down over it. Sealing it completely with a large padlock, he returned the remote to his pocket. Then he marched up a narrow stairway. He ducked to avoid hitting the leaking pipes above him. The air was tight down here. Few people came, except for maintenance workers making repairs to the colony. Had anyone been there to see him, they would have been sure this creepy old man was up to no good. _Depending on who said it,_ he chuckled to himself, _they might be right._ Finally he came to a dead end. His fingers groped the wall until he reached an almost invisible catch. The metal panel swung open, revealing a cold, almost empty room, with only a ratty gray couch and a small kitchen alcove. To his left, there was a door, slightly ajar. Dr. J went through that. 

A boy of about thirteen years old kneeled on the floor, folding a tank top and then tossing it into an old blue duffle bag. A pair of black shorts followed, covering an inch of steel buried under the few worn-out T-shirts and pants. The boy wore a dark green tank top and ripped jeans. His unkempt brown bangs fell into his Prussian blue eyes, looking like they'd neither been combed nor washed for days. Dr. J studied the boy and grunted. "I'm going to have to get you some new clothes," he commented. 

"Hn." The boy shrugged indifferently, causing the scientist to roll his eyes. _This kid is a peace of work,_ he complained to himself. Far from the same as the normal teenagers hanging out in the mall with their friends, or the poor orphans that begged on the street, this kid lived in the shadows, seemingly caring little about everyone and everything. Though, under Dr. J's care for some time now, he showed no sign of having any feeling towards the man at all. As for Dr. J, this youth was a pain to him at times but others almost a pleasure to teach and train. Although, teaching wasn't exactly the word Dr. J would use. . Amazing his 'teacher' by his sheer skill was more like it. A piece of work he may have been, but one his enemies wouldn't stand a chance against. That alone (and the slight affection and admiration he had for him) was enough to make Dr. J put up with him. He was one of the things that made the doctor's creation an ultimate weapon. 

The boy zipped his bag closed and looked up expectantly for orders. Dr. J cleared his throat, preparing to go through this one last time. "You've been enrolled in this facility as Heero Yuy, a fitting name for this mission, considering your intent. Your goal is to infiltrate the top-secret base. Further instructions will be transmitted to you via your computer. I trust you have it with you." The boy, Heero, nodded. Dr. J paused. "It's… in the best interests of the mission for you to act as inconspicuous as possible and blend in with your, er, peers." Had Heero been more of the type to show his feelings, he would've snorted aloud. He knew this was the scientist's roundabout way of saying "Be nice to the other children and make some friends." Heero didn't bother telling him that his reply to that was "No way, Jose." Socializing wasn't his thing, which he'd already made clear. And friends would only get in the way of his mission. Dr. J repressed a sigh and took another remote device out o his pocket. This one was a hard white metal with a dark blue button on top. He handed it to Heero. "Use this if it becomes necessary."

Heero nodded again. "Mission: Accepted." 


	3. Going Away Duo

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing does not belong to me. It belongs to Bandai and Sunrise and all those other people who are probably millionaires right now. Anything that resembles lines in the actual show is on purpose.

Going Away-Duo

"Do, dee, dum, dee dee…" The young teen hummed off key as he braided his long brown hair. From behind, he could easily be mistaken for one of the opposite gender. To the long-nosed scientist who was apparently his caretaker during this boy's association with the Sweepers, he took as much time primping as one. 

"Are you finished yet, Dueta?" Professor G sneered impatiently. He folded his arms and leaned back against the doorframe.

"Aw, put a sock in it, mushroom head," Duo shot back. H e tied his braid with a rubber band and admired himself in the mirror. "Gotta impress all those lovely ladies I'm sure this place must have."

The professor snorted. Duo's laid-back attitude always had a way of irritating him, but it had been getting worse since puberty set in. "Remember," he said sternly for about the tenth time that week alone. "You're not just going there for fun. This is a serious mission. Destroy them first. That's your responsibility."

"Yeah, yeah. Relax, old man," Duo said carelessly. "I know what I'm doing. The God of Death will not fail."

Professor G rolled his eyes. If there was one thing this kid had, it was confidence, perhaps a little too much. "Well, Shinigami, you'd best not. And don't forget about this." He tossed him a small black remote, then spun around and slammed the door.

Duo put the remote down on the dresser. "I won't, no way. I can't." He sank down on his heels. Painful images flooded through his head: a demolished church, Sister Helen dying with him to blame. Father Maxwell, Solo, all the children that had died during that plague. But nothing happened to him. _He_ still survived. 

Duo sighed. _The God of Death is right. I don't think there's anyone I've ever really cared about that hasn't died on me._ He clenched his fist. _I know you may not think this is right,_ he said to the ceiling, _but it's time to get a little pay back._ Duo punched the floor and cried out, not of physical pain, but of the pain and sorrow his cheerful face would always hide.


	4. Going Away Hilde

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing does not belong to me. It belongs to some people in Japan who are probably sipping wine in a hot tub in some resort somewhere without a care in the world and a few million dollars in their wallet. Some people actually do belong to me in here, mostly just to explain what those rich people have seemingly deemed unimportant. Anything changed slightly, particularly my speeding up of time, was on purpose.

Going Away-Hilde

"Yo, heads up!"

"Hey!" Hilde Schbeiker cursed under her breath as a rolled up uniform flew over her head, missing it only by a couple of inches.

"It means duck, space case," said her fellow cadet, a tall, snooty blond.

"Why does she need to?" said the girl who'd shouted the warning before. "She's so tiny, it went right over her head anyway." The two friends nearly fell on the bed with their mocking laughter.

"Idiots," Hilde muttered. She put on her headphones and turned up the radio full blast, letting their giggles fade away. Tucking her uniform shirt neatly, Hilde placed it in her suitcase. She stared at it for a moment._ Don't forget that's the reason you're here, Schbeiker,_ she thought to herself. She sat on her suitcase and zipped it quickly, than picked it up. She scowled at her earth-born classmates briefly before heading out the door.

__

I wonder if I was born here, would they give me so much trouble? The idea seemed quite possible. Despite the fact they were all in the same Oz unit, the other cadets seemed to have the same contempt for the colonies that the rest of the earth demonstrated. _Never mind that the Alliance has been suppressing **us** for the past who knows how many years._ Hilde bit her lip at the thought of her "true enemy." At least, that was what the man who had visited her old home said. And whom her parents and friends believed it was. Hilde sighed. She missed them.

* * * Flashback * * *

"Yo, Schbeiker, heads up!"

Hilde looked up from her book at the freckled, redheaded boy who had called her name. His hand reared back, launching a slightly worn-out football at her. She caught it easily and grinned at him.

"Nice throw, Sean," she shouted at him. 

He gave her a thumbs up. "Think I'll make varsity next year?"

"About as good a chance as I would have making the cheerleading squad." The screen door of the red brick house, whose stoop Hilde was perched on, opened and a petite girl with the same freckles and red pigtails stepped out. 

"Found it!" She said triumphantly, holding a blue comb and brush in her hand.

Hilde reached up and pulled the yellow scrunchie out of her shoulder length brown hair. "Thanks, Allie. I couldn't find them anywhere."

"Funny how I know your room better than you do," she said teasingly. 

Allie and Sean Sawyer were twins and Hilde's next door neighbors, as well as her best friends. All three had grown up together in the L-2 colony cluster. As an only child, Hilde considered them to be family. Allie always seemed to be around when she needed her, and Sean defended her as he would his own sister, teaching both girls to fight when Hilde had been picked on by some older bullies as a kid. They were even close enough for him to admit that she had become a better fighter than he was. Of course, it didn't save them a trip to the principal's office, but they made it through that together. Just as they had gone to visit the twins' father in the hospital when his shop was attacked by Alliance soldiers who wouldn't pay like everyone else. Or when they went to bring the class food basket to an orphanage and spent the day there, playing with the little children whose parents had been killed. But that day would change things.

A black Sedan pulled up in the Sawyers driveway. "Who's that?" Hilde asked.

The twins glanced at eachother and shrugged. The three pre-teens ran over and stood by the car door, waiting patiently for the driver to come out. He was a tall, handsome European-looking male, with light brown hair and blue eyes. He wore a dark blue cape and a blue uniform shirt, similar to the one Hilde had been putting away. He glanced them over and smiled.

"May I help you, sir?" Sean asked, in his best 'man of the house' voice.

"Yes, I'd like to speak with your mother if that is all right." He looked directly at Hilde. "Perhaps your parents, too, if they can spare the time."

Hilde gulped. "M-mine?"

He nodded. "If you don't mind," he said to Sean. 

"Um, of course." Sean opened the door and led him inside.

"Are we in trouble?" Allie whispered.

"I have no idea," she said truthfully. "But if I am, Mom and Dad are so not going to be happy to hear about it."

* * * * * *

About an hour or so later, Mr. and Mrs. Schbeiker were sitting in the Sawyer kitchen around this man, who'd introduced himself as Treize Kushrenada. Hilde and her friends were there, too, staring at him with large, surprised eyes. 

"I don't know," Hilde's mother was saying. "I really don't know."  
Her father frowned. "I agree with what you've been saying about the Alliance, but… Do you really think Oz can achieve what Heero Yuy tried to do so many years ago?"

Treize nodded. "Perhaps. I have faith in my soldiers. And your children would be a good addition to the Specials, and of course, Oz." 

Ms. Sawyer bit her lip. "But how do we know they'll be safe?"

"Nothing is certain, ma'am," Treize said. "You didn't know your husband would end up with the fate he did, either. But I assure you, this is for the peace of the colonies."

* * * End Flashback * * *

For the peace of the colonies. The words still echoed in her mind today. Yes, that was what she was fighting for. Although, despite Sean's teaching, her test scores deemed her the weakest of her unit. She accepted that, not that her classmates' teasing would let her forget. But no matter what she was or wasn't, she would die fighting if it were for the peace of the colonies.

_Then why do this?_ She wondered. _Why go to this place at all?_ She knew the reasons. Lady Une, the colonel in charge, had explained why they were going to this "camp" set up by the Specials. They were given the option of course, but she knew that too. Not that she had a choice in the matter. With the attack on her family's home a month before, she didn't have them to go back to for the summer. Only her uncle's remained, but she was not quite ready to face her relatives yet, when she was the one supposed to protect them. As for the twins, they had been sent to a different unit. She had written them letter, tried desperately to get in contact with them, but in vain. Only last week was she finally informed that they weren't even in Oz any more, but had been sent home long ago.

And so, Hilde was alone, without her family or her best friends. She had changed, not just in appearance because of her newly cropped hair or in behavior by learning to be organized without Allie to do it for her. But she would keep on fighting if it were for the peace of the colonies. _Yes,_ she thought, _for the peace of the colonies._


	5. Going Away Catherine

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is not mine. I wish it was, but it isn't, so at least allow me the privilege of playing with them for a bit.

Going Away-Catherine

"Cathy!" The circus manager banged on her trailer door. "Cathy! Why can't that girl stay put for a change?" He sighed. Ever since she was a baby, she had a habit of disappearing into thin air. But out of all places, one was the most likely.

* * * Flashback * * *

A young man at the age of twenty, clean- and with his hair trimmed neatly, the manager sat on the dirt floor under the circus tent. A somewhat chubby infant with auburn hair, flaming red from long hours playing in the sun, was perched on his lap, hanging onto his arm to keep her balance, as she was still just learning how to walk and was rather shaky at it. 

He applauded loudly and stood, setting the child on the ground. "Great, Mrs.Bloom!" He called out. The freckled redhead, about seven years or so his senior, but looking much younger, smiled at him triumphantly. Her husband wiped the sweat from his forehead, pushing his long brown bangs away from his eyes. He edged away carefully from the sharp knives imbedded in wood around him, mere millimeters from his body.

"Well, it looks like you still got it," he praised his wife.

"I never lost it," she retorted. Then she broke into a grin to let him know she was only teasing him, much to his relief. Though he loved his wife fiercely, she was not one he wished to be around in a temper. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but not even that could match with when she was in a bad mood. Childbirth had only seemed to make her stronger. A petite woman, no one would believe she could cause any harm. But one look at her performance as this circus's star knife thrower, in addition to being one of their best trapeze artists and any man would know she was not one to be messed with. Her husband had learned early in life not to try. Friends since childhood, having grown up in the same troupe, he had always been the calm to her storm. Quiet and secretive, his personality had always irritated her somewhat when she was a teenager. She was much more outgoing and friendly, and most people were surprised that they were a couple. Yet, they were and she had always kept a fierce protectiveness of him. Even what would seem relatively harmless to anyone else was like walking into a lion's den to her. Overtime that protectiveness had turned into love and he responded more openly to her than anyone else, although many women swooned over him. 

This odd mixture had brought Catherine, Cathy or even Kitty, as her mother sometimes called her, who was in every way just a spitfire as her mother was, even as a baby. And her mother protected her as a lioness would her cub, taking off the first year after she was born. Now she was back in the ring and her husband was once again her target, the only one brave enough to do so, not that she missed often. Her performance had the entire audience on the edge of their seats. Everyone who saw it was in awe of her, except for Catherine that is. Restless from being held, the baby stood and walked wobbly out of the ring. The three adults were chatting excitedly about the upcoming show and failed to notice her. With a brief look back at her mommy, Cathy flopped on her belly and crawled under the tent to the outside world. 

"This is going to be great," exclaimed the manager, who was assistant manager back then. "It'll be a full house tonight, that's for sure. Everyone's been waiting for you to make your return, especially here." That night, the circus would be performing in the L3 colony cluster, where most of the members of the troupe, including all of the Blooms, had either been born or had family. This was a big homecoming for them and people from all the colonies had been awaiting it with anticipation.

Mrs. Bloom was grinning broadly. "I know. Isn't it exciting? Not that I would trade this past year for the world, now would I Kitty?" she cooed, turning to gaze fondly at her daughter. Instead, she found herself staring at the floor. "Where's Catherine?" she asked, her heart rising in her throat in a state of motherly panic. 

"She was there a moment ago," the manager replied, bewildered. "She couldn't have gone far."  
The young mother pushed past him, nearly knocking the poor man to the ground. As soon as he regained his balance, he found himself lose it again as Mr. Bloom tore after his wife. "Um, I'll just look for her in here," he called from his spot on the floor. 

With the speed of cheetahs, the Blooms rushed through the tent flaps as if they weren't there. The other circus members present looked at them in surprise. Instantly, she began barking orders. 

"You, go look under all the trailers," she commanded, pointing to a clown. He rushed to do her bidding, afraid to ask questions at the moment. "And you guys, check the elephants and the horses." She turned to her husband. "You come with me and we'll search everywhere else."  
"Uh, what are we searching for?" asked an acrobat timidly. 

She looked at the woman as if she were stupid. "My daughter, who else?" With that bit of information, they hurried to their spots.

The couple searched through every crate and box of equipment in the process of being unpacked. The trailers were crawled under, the ticket booths and souvenir stands were covered. The poor manager, covered in dust, looked under all the stands. The elephants and horses were thoroughly examined, as if one of them might have swallowed her. No Catherine. Finally, her parents came to the last place they could look: the lion's cages. Mrs. Bloom felt her stomach churn. Of all places, this was the one that she feared the most. The lions were the favorite of both her and her husband, who had almost unnatural abilities with them. Well-tamed, she knew the lions to be rather gentle and friendly. But a baby was different than a full-grown, or even a younger human, and she wasn't quite sure how the lions would react around her. The other members of the troupe crowded around in fear, sure that they had seen the last of the dear baby, who was precious to all of them. The manager felt tears of guilt and despair well up in his eyes. But none of them had needed to worry. 

Curled up next to one of their prized lionesses, was Catherine, fast asleep. The lioness licked her tiny feet as she would her own cub. Her parents heaved sighs of relief. Mrs. Bloom raced to the cage, only to be greeted with a loud roar. She jumped in surprise; the lioness had never acted this way before. She motioned for her husband to try. He creeped towards the lioness, talking softly to her, only to be responded to in the same way. The noise woke Catherine, who yawned and stretched her little limbs as far as she could. She stroked her new friend's fur, gazing back and forth from her to her parents. Reluctantly, the lioness allowed her to toddle away and squeeze through the bars of the cage. Her mother picked her up and hugged her tight. 

"Don't you ever do that again," she sobbed.

Cathy's father patted her shoulder comfortingly. "It's all right now. Let's go inside, it's chilly out here." He led her back to the tent, with the others trailing behind. Catherine peeked over her mother's shoulder and waved her chubby little arm. The lioness roared in response, evoking the same from her fellow lions. The manager looked back at them and chuckled. _Look's like Catherine's got a new extended family_, he thought to himself. He hurried to catch up.

* * * End Flashback * * *

The manager smiled to himself and headed to the cages. That had been fourteen years ago. Now fifteen years old and practically grown up, Catherine still was crazy about the lions. Sure enough, she lay on the floor of the cage, her head resting on her mother lioness's neck, patting it and talking softly to her. The lioness's mate lay at her feet as she pet him with her other hand. He purred happily like a house cat. Two cubs, just born a couple months before, batted around her sneakers, preferring them to the toy mouse she had gotten for them. 

The manager cleared his throat. "I had a feeling I'd find you here," he said. "All packed?"

She sat up and nodded. "Yup, I'm ready." She scooped up a cub in her arms. He cuddled to her chest.

"Are you sure about this?" he continued worriedly. "You could come with us. We may need you in the show."

Catherine raised her eyebrow at him. Although she had her mother's talent for knife throwing, he'd never let her perform before, partly because she was too young and partly because no one would work with her. Catherine was every bit as intimidating as her mother and anyone who tried out for the job, changed their mind the moment the first knife was thrown. All the other circus members refused for the same reason. She suspected her was just using it as an excuse to prevent her from going.

"You know how hard it was for me to get this job," she reminded him. "I can't just back out. I may never get this opportunity again."  
"I don't understand, Cathy. Why is this so important to you?" 

"It just is, that's all," she replied. 

"_Catherine_," he warned.

"What?" she asked innocently. This only worried him more. 

"Just what exactly are you planning on doing?" he asked. 

"Nothing, nothing," she said. "There's no harm in just looking around."

"Just looking around?" he said in disbelief. "This is the Specials we're talking about. You've heard the rumors about them. If you stumble on something and they find out, you'll never make it home alive. It's useless. If the Alliance didn't care enough to spare your family's lives, they're not going to care enough to keep records about it. It's a suicide mission. A lot of soldiers and cadets are going to be there."

Catherine nodded. "I know. That's what I'm counting on," she said under her breath. 

He still heard her. "You can't still be thinking of that!"  
"And why not?"  
He put his arm around her. "Cathy," he said more gently. "I know it's hard to accept, but they're gone. All of them."

She shoved him away. "You don't know that. They never found the body. For all we know, he's still alive."

"Even if he is, what makes you think he's there?"

Cathy shrugged. "It's possible. A lot orphans in the colonies were trained as soldiers. He could be one of those cadets."

"I honestly doubt it. And if he is, how will you know it's him? It's been almost twelve years now, be logical Catherine!" 

She glared at him. "He's my brother. I'll know. Trust me, I'll know." 

Defeated, the manager stormed off. Catherine sank to the floor, hugging the cub to her. He licked her face reassuringly. She squeezed him tight. Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. "Triton," she murmured. 

* * * Flashback * * *

"We're going to see the lions, Triton!" Cathy squealed. She bounced her baby brother on her lap. 

He picked up a bean bag animal. "Lion?" he asked.

She shook her head, her curls bouncing around her shoulders. "No, that's a lioness. See, no mane." She showed him another one. "This is a lion."

He grabbed it from her and examined it with a 22-month old's curiosity. "Lion," he repeated clearly. 

"Yup, lion. Good, Triton." She hugged her little brother.   
From the driver's seat of their wagon, Mr. Bloom grimaced at hearing the name. 

"This is what I get for letting a three-year old name a baby." He muttered. His wife elbowed him.

"Hush. I'm sure there will be other children for you to name."

He sighed. "Maybe, but she'll probably convince me to let her name them too. And by then she'll have an ally."

Mrs. Bloom laughed. "Oh, come on. It's not that bad."

"Not that bad. My son was named after a mermaid."

"Actually, he's a merman," Cathy called from inside. 

"Whatever," her father replied huffily. But inside, he wasn't really mad, just disappointed. Triton was his first son, after all, and already seemed a man after his own heard. Well-behaved and quiet for an infant, the baby apparently would take after his father in personality and looks as well. Were it not for his mother's constant grooming of it, his hair would be in the exact same style. Catherine, meanwhile, was growing more and more like her mother everyday. At four years old, she was extremely attached to her little brother and was like a second mother to him. Among his first words was "Catty," as well as other useful vocabulary such as lion and tent. Triton was already a child of the circus, even though he had actually spent very little time there in his short life. 

"Lions, lions, we're gonna see the lions," Cathy sung.

Her parents exchanged glances. Lions were part of the reason they had left the circus a little over a year before. As soon as Triton was capable of walking on his own, his sister had led him straight to the lions. While no harm had been done, as they excepted him like they did his sister, their parents had decided to remain in the L3 colony cluster until he was a little older. Since then, lions were all Cathy could talk about, and now, to her delight, they were finally going back. That morning, they had packed up their circus wagon (circus people had little need or room for cars) and were heading to rejoin their old friends in the city. All of them were ecstatic to be going back. Even baby Triton knew something was happening. But, sadly, not all of them would make it.

About four hours after they started off, the Blooms found themselves in the middle of an Alliance battle. Bombs dropped on all sides oft hem. A tree fell down, blocking the way they came and preventing their escape. They had no choice but to go through if they had any chance at all of getting out of there.

Catherine clung to her mother's arm, which squeezed her tightly in turn. Triton was on the seat next to them, looking at the outside activity in wonderment. Mrs. Bloom had her eyes shut tight as she mouthed a prayer. Sweat ran down their father's forehead, as well as those of the horses. They pressed on as best they could, but they were already tired from their long journey. 

Cathy looked out the window. She could see planes flying above, dropping bombs on the anti-Alliance headquarters there. Men lay in the fields, all bloody, and some with missing limbs. Other men ducked underneath whatever possible shelter they could find, though it did little could. It was apparent that the rebels were outnumbered and outmatched. "Mommy," she whimpered. Mrs. Bloom drew her daughter close to her. These were things no child should have to see. 

A loud explosion rocked the wagon. It was almost right on top of them. The horses reared. Mr. Bloom shook the reins, trying desperately to regain control, but they wouldn't move.

"We can't make it this way," he called to his wife. "We have to get the children out of here."  
She nodded grimly. "Cathy, I'm going to let you out first. I'll hand you your brother, okay?"

"But I want to stay with you!" Cathy wailed. She hugged her mother tightly. 

"I know, sweetie, but you have to do what I say, understand?" She clutched her tightly and could feel her daughter's small body shake in her arms. 

She lowered the little girl out of the wagon. Then she reached for the baby. But before she could give him to her, another bomb dropped. It hit the wagon with deadly accuracy. Cathy was tossed back by the impact.

"Mommy!" she screamed. The wagon burst into flames. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw something get thrown out of the wagon, but the fire was immense and smoke blinded her vision and made her cough. Her eyes watered and she choked as the wagon and her family burned right in front of her eyes. 

"Mommy! Daddy!" The world was black around her. She felt herself being drawn into the darkness. Tired and weary, she whispered "Triton" before slipping into it completely.

* * * * * *

Catherine opened her eyes to unfamiliar surroundings. She was in a small, dimly lit room. The walls were hard stone. A rusty metal staircase was in the hall across the room. She was lying on a hard, lumpy mattress, which was sinking to the floor from her weight. Her head pounded. She looked around groggily. _Where am I?_ She wondered. She felt around in her pockets and found the two bean bag lions squished inside. Suddenly, she remembered what had happened. "Mommy? Daddy?" she whispered. The attempt to speak made her cough.

She heard footsteps coming down the stairs. A young man in a dirty gray shirt and pants with a red piece of fabric tied to his arm, uniform of a rebel faction, made his way down the stairs, jumping down the last two steps.

"Finally awake I see. Are you okay?" he asked Catherine. She croaked, unable to answer him. "What's your name?" His eyes were kind and friendly, but she still could not speak. 

He nodded in understanding. "You're at our underground base. The alliance attacked us a couple of days ago. Your family must have gotten caught in the battle. It's over now. You're safe. You've been asleep since then. You're probably hungry. Here." He picked up a tray she hadn't seen before. Impulsively, she threw off the thin sheet covering her and ran up the stairs. 

"Hey, come back!" The soldier called after her. Catherine found herself in the midst of ruins. She picked through the rubble. 

_Mommy! Daddy!_ She called silently to them in her head. But they weren't there. She searched for almost an hour until a couple of rebel soldiers found her. Her friend picked her up and carried her back.

"Triton," she whispered over his soldier.

* * * End Flashback * * *

"Triton," she murmured. She reached into her jeans' pocket and took out the lion and lioness. Since that day she'd always carried them with her, in case she ever did find him. They reminded her of her and her brother, just as it did when she watched the cubs play together.

After they took her back, the soldiers brought her to the city where she found the circus waiting for her. Part of the rubble from their wagon had been recovered, apparently, that said the name of the circus on it. On their way, Catherine retained the hope that her family would be waiting there for her. But they weren't there, and the bodies were never found. The manager and the others had welcomed her with open arms, like one of the family. "A child of the circus," the manager had called her, and that was what she was. No other place would seem like home. But there was always that feeling that something was missing, and somewhere deep in her heart she kept the hope that they, or at least Triton, were still out there. She knew she had seen something come out of the wagon that day, but no matter how many times she searched, she was unable to find it. Yet something told her he was still alive. To this day, she had never stopped searching. 

"I'll find you, Triton," she swore, with the lions bearing witness to her vow. "I promise, I'll find you, if it's the last thing I do."


	6. Going Away Trowa

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing doesn't belong to me. If it did, I wouldn't be as poor as I am now. 

Some quick notes, Ralph is from Blind Target, Midii Une from Episode Zero. This is meant to take place after Trowa's past given in Endless Waltz. Any information here is as close to the original facts, but possibly adjusted to fit this story.

Going Away- Trowa

In another section of the L3 colony cluster, a teenage boy stood in an empty MS plant. The colony was old and deteriorating. It soon would be unable to support life at all, according to his old comrade Ralph; not that many people lived there now. That was a part of what made it the perfect place for the Barton Foundation to have it's main headquarters, and the production of one of their supreme weapons: a Gundam. Though only about thirteen, the boy had helped build this powerful machine, and almost knew more about it than any of them, as well as best suited to pilot it. And pilot it he would.

At that moment, however, his mind was not on Mobile Suits and Gundams, or the event of a few days before that granted him this honor. He stared out a small window into the void known as outer space. Though it was cold and barren, the boy felt his place was out there. It was just like him: empty. He had no name, no past and no future but his death. Though to most it would seem bleak, he accepted it and welcomed it. After all, what did he have to leave behind? No one would notice if he was gone, or would they care. He needed nothing and no one. The battlefield was the only place he felt whole, except for space. 

_I suppose we aren't so alike after all_, he mused. He removed a cross from around his neck. _And I don't know why God would even want to protect me. I'm nobody. You shouldn't have wasted your time, Midii. What does it matter to you if I live or die?_ He thought back to three years before, to the girl who he had almost believed to be his friend. In reality, they could not be more different. She had a life, a family. She had a place to return to. He had never possessed any of those things, so he couldn't miss him. Or at least, he believed he never did. The time up until he found himself in a mercenary's camp as a young child was a blank. He didn't know if he could possibly have had a family. Once in a while, something seemed familiar, like he'd seen it before. For example, that circus he passed with Midii Une, even though he told her it was nothing. But when he tried to remember, he came up with nothing. He soon gave up trying. A soldier didn't need distractions anyway. He was almost perfect, completely focused on his orders. He felt no ambition, or greed, or any need for revenge. He just did what he was told without question. Unlike someone he had known. 

"I've been looking for you." A tall, odd-looking man by the name of Doktor S stepped into the building. The boy nodded at him in greeting. "Everything's been prepared. Are you ready?"

The engineer looked him over. He was so young, and yet he acted like someone older. The age would come in handy for this mission, but it still didn't seem right. This boy deserved to handle this machine, which Trowa Barton didn't, but it seemed that another person would be sacrificed because of this. True, it was one life for the lives of many, but it wasn't fair. What was the worse about it was that this child didn't care at all. He just accepted his orders and carried them out. Barton was an asshole, in his opinion, but at least he had one and plenty to say about it. This boy had nothing and eventually it would lead to his destruction.

"I'm ready," the boy answered. "But I do have a question."

Doktor S looked surprised at the statement, but a little relieved. Maybe the boy wasn't just following him blindly after all.

"If we're not carrying out the Barton Foundation's original plans for Operation Meteor, what's the point of still going on this mission? We had planned for me to do this weeks ago, look before this happened."

The scientist nodded. "Some of the details are the same. And the information you find could be vital for later missions. Trowa Barton wouldn't have been able to pull it off anyway. And, due to recent events, it's best you avoid this place for now with the Heavyarms. You are Trowa Barton now, but it won't be kept a secret for long. It's safer for you to lay low for the time being."

Trowa agreed. Judging from the time he spent with the deceased Trowa, the wrath of Dekim Barton wouldn't be pleasant when he found out his son had been killed just a few days before. Not that Trowa was afraid, but he would feel better if Barton didn't get his hands on the Gundam. According to Doktor S, the older Barton was rather eccentric and something of a lunatic. He could only imagine what the child was like, the little girl that would take over if the true Operation Meteor succeeded. It seemed sad, having a family like that, but he supposed it was better than not having a family at all. 

He turned his attention back to the window and saw a civilian shuttle pass by. It appeared to share his destination: the Earth. Trowa had seen shuttles plenty of times before and they looked exactly the same as this one with ordinary people inside. But for some reason, he was curious to look and see them. Trowa's vision was better than normal, and he was able to see a mass of brownish hair in the window. Trowa felt an odd tingle in his head. It was the same feeling he got whenever he tried to remember something. But before he could figure out what, Doktor S interrupted his thoughts. 

"Is there anything else you need to know?" he inquired. Trowa shook his head. The doctor pressed a control device in his hand. "Then be prepared to leave. Your flight is at 2100 hours." Trowa nodded. It was a nighttime flight, since the time at the camp was different from that in space. In normal time, he would be off at nine o'clock. 

His attention now on the mission ahead, he forgot about the shuttle. But he had plenty of time to think about it later. He certainly would.

Greetings! How's everybody's summer? Well, now that the pleasantries are out of the way, let's get down to business. Finally, this chapter is finished. Pretty soon, this section will be done, and the real story will begin, only two more double chapters and a combined chapter to go. To get myself to post chapters faster, I've decided to do something new for me: previews. That way, I'll at least have something done and the people who like this will have something to read in the meantime. And the sooner I start, the sooner I finish. That's the theory anyway. But before that, I want some opinions. Though I didn't plan on it intentionally, should Midii Une have a cameo appearance in this fic? Or how about Chris and Ralph? Or do you have any other characters you have in mind that I should put in here? I'll try to incorporate as many suggestions as possible. Chao! And now, without further ado, coming to a computer near you:

Going Away- Quatre

Mr. Winner turned red with fury. "I don't care what they call them, fighting is fighting, no matter what age you are. I forbid you to get mixed up in that."

"I won't," his only son replied wearily. "Rashid is coming too, and so are Abdul, Auda, Ahmad, and a lot of others."

_That's what I'm afraid of_, his father thought to himself. 

"They won't let anything happen to me. It's just like any other camp, it's perfectly safe."

"Than why do you have to go to this one, if there are so many others. Are you planning something foolish?" 

Quatre thought his father somewhat resembled an eggplant, the way he was turning purple like that. "No," he lied. "I just want to see the Earth, and this is the only way I know of getting there. No other Earth camp would accept someone from the colonies," he reminded him. "Even one with your connections." That was the truth, not that it mattered to him one way or another. Whether his father liked it or not, he would go, even if it meant he had to run away. 

His father sighed. "Fine, I give up. Go to your camp. But stay out of trouble."

"I will." Quatre crossed his fingers behind his back. Trouble was exactly what he was looking for.

Going Away- Dorothy

Dorothy stared at the photo for a long time. Then she crumpled it up and tossed it on the floor. She pulled out a suitcase from her closet and began throwing clothes in.

"Stupid Treize," she muttered. "It's all his fault." This never would have happened if her cousin hadn't opened his big mouth. He knew very well that she wouldn't want to go.


	7. Going Away Quatre

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing does not belong to me. All I own are a few Gundam Wing books and manga, so it'd be useless to sue me for what you already have.

Going Away- Quatre

"Where's my son?" The head of the Winner family burst into his basement, ignoring the sign that stated "Please knock before entering."

"Um, he's upstairs, packing I believe," the stout, mustached Instructor H stuttered. Silently, he breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness he had finished up earlier. "Er, would you like me to fetch him for you?" he asked timidly. For a pacifist, Mr. Winner was not exactly rational when angry, and pretty strong for a man of his age.

"Quatre!" he shouted. He charged up the stairs. 

Instructor H looked taken aback. "Apparently not."

Mr. Winner stormed into the living room. Sweet music flowed down from the second floor of their mansion. "Quatre Raberba Winner, get down here this instant!" he bellowed. The music stopped abruptly.

Quatre stumbled down the stairs, his clear blue eyes showing some annoyance. He had a violin tucked under one arm and a bow in his other hand. His elder sister, Iria, came down behind him, holding a clarinet.

"What is it father?" He asked calmly. Though somewhat irritated, he maintained his innocent, boyish face that, with his blond hair made him look like an angel. For a moment, his father almost forgot what he was angry about, looking at his little boy. _He looks so much like his mother,_ he thought. Indeed, he did take after her the most. He was like her in his actions as well as looks, always wanting to see the best in everyone, devotedly passionate to the causes he found important and loyal to the people he cared about. Mr. Winner felt a swell of pride looking at him. He was a good boy and would turn out an even greater man, although his father felt he didn't necessarily earn the right to take credit for that. The boy would do it on his own, with a little help from the Maganac Corps. 

"Well?" Quatre said, trying not to sound impatient. He had always felt uncomfortable in his father's presence, ever since teenage rebellion had taken its hold in rather unusual circumstances. But the events of earlier this year had almost made things worse instead of better. Though Quatre had gotten past his ill feelings about his birth, thanks to the help from his new friends, it also caused another conflict. Quatre felt that the distance between them was becoming even greater, in more ways than his father had realized.

Remembering his purpose, Mr. Winner's look of pride turned back to anger. "What's this about Alliance soldiers running the camp you're going to?"

Quatre turned pale. He had known he couldn't hide from the fact forever, though that didn't make this any easier to deal with. He felt bad about lying to his father, but he never would let him go otherwise. And he needed to do this.

"It's not Alliance soldiers," he corrected. "They're just cadets. Teenagers like me. And it isn't just cadets either. Normal kids will be there too."

Mr. Winner turned red with fury. "I don't care what they call them, fighting is fighting, no matter what age you are. I forbid you to get mixed up in that."

"I won't," his only son replied wearily. "Rashid is coming too, and so are Abdul, Auda, Ahmad, and a lot of others."

_That's what I'm afraid of_, his father thought to himself. 

"They won't let anything happen to me. It's just like any other camp, it's perfectly safe."

"Than why do you have to go to this one, if there are so many others. Are you planning something foolish?" 

Quatre thought his father somewhat resembled an eggplant, the way he was turning purple like that. "No," he lied. "I just want to see the Earth, and this is the only way I know of getting there. No other Earth camp would accept someone from the colonies," he reminded him. "Even one with your connections." That was the truth, not that it mattered to him one way or another. Whether his father liked it or not, he would go, even if it meant he had to run away. 

His father sighed. "Fine, I give up. Go to your camp. But stay out of trouble."

"I will." Quatre crossed his fingers behind his back. Trouble was exactly what he was looking for. By his father's standards, anyway. Deep inside, he felt he was doing something good, useful, helpful. Something that being the Winner heir and a businessman couldn't do for the colonies. Even though he had believed he was insignificant because he was born in a test tube, he still could do something important. The Maganacs had taught him that. They were his family in a way his 29 sisters, however much they meant to him, could never be. And they would continue to be there for him throughout this ordeal. At that moment, they were setting up tents near the camp, ready to help their "Master Quatre" at a moment's notice. What his father had been told was that Rashid and the others would be there to protect him as bodyguards. In reality, they were his back up. This was his responsibility and his alone: to fight to protect the people he cared about.

"Come on, Quatre," his sister said. "I'll help you pack." She put her arms around him protectively and walked with him up the stairs. At the top of the staircase, she turned back to look at her father. "Go easy on him" her face said. Mr. Winner waved her away.

"I need a drink," he muttered once they were out of earshot. 

"Here you go." Instructor H appeared beside him, holding out a glass of rum. He looked at him in surprise.

"Thank you," he said and took a long swig. "Too much ice," he commented. 

The scientist shrugged innocently. Mr. Winner wasn't a heavy drinker, but it wouldn't do any good to start now. He waddled up the stairs after the children before their father could notice.

* * * * * *

Quatre fiddled with his violin, checking to make sure it was in tune. "He just doesn't understand," he complained. 

Iria nodded sympathetically. "I know it seems that way, brother. But he just doesn't want you to get hurt."  
Quatre tested his work. Squeak! "I guess, but I have to do this. I just wish he would support me for a change, instead of making me lie to him. Nothing I do ever pleases him."  
His sister chuckled. "Welcome to the club. He only acts like that. He really is proud of you. He just isn't good at showing it."

Quatre sighed. "I'll say. I can't remember the last time he said something positive to me, or anything for that matter without yelling."

"Oh, Quatre." Iria hugged her little brother tightly. She loved him dearly. Out of all his sisters, she was closest to him. Perhaps it was because of their mother. He reminded Iria so much of her. He was as brave and noble as she was. If only he had known her. She sighed inwardly. He'd be even worse off if he knew the truth. It was one thing to be born in a test tube, but to be the cause of his mother's death… His gentle soul wouldn't be able to bear it.

* * * * * * 

Mr. Winner swirled the ice around in his glass. He was reclined in an easy chair in their living room. In his other hand, he held a picture frame. It displayed himself and Quatre when he was just a little boy. Quatre was holding his hand and gazing up at his father, smiling adoringly.

His father took another sip. He missed that little boy. Though he loved all his children equally (and that was certainly plenty to love), Quatre was his only son and still his little boy. It tore him apart that he resented him so much. 

"What am I going to do with him, Quatrine?" He spoke to his dead wife. "He's so stubborn. Just like you."

_I'm no more stubborn than you are_. The voice echoed over and over in his head, as clear as someone had really spoken. She'd always said that to him whenever he called her stubborn. He supposed she was right. With his wife he could take it when she disagreed with him about something, but it was different with his son. What happened to the sweet little boy in the picture? He turned into a brooding moody teenager almost overnight. True, he was still sweet, but the resentment in his eyes when he talked to his father was clear. Mr. Winner blamed himself for it. But the Winner family was famous and with that fame came a responsibility. He couldn't simply throw away his ideals of pacifism; his son knew that. As heir of the Winner family, it was his responsibility to carry on that tradition in the colonies. The truth was that Mr. Winner was proud of his son for fighting for what he believed in. But he only supported his son in his head, and Quatre would never know it. 

Mr. Winner glanced at the drink in his hand in disgust, finally realizing what he was doing. It would do him no good to drown his sorrows in alcohol. All things considered, he would forget about his reputation if it meant he could prove to his son that he truly did love him. But he was terrified. He'd seen the horrors of war that he'd spoken out against. He'd seen the lives lost, the people suffering. He didn't want his son to go through the same thing that he was fighting to stop. Mr. Winner sighed. If only Quatre could see that.

* * * * * *

"Are you ready, Master Quatre?" Instructor H asked him.

"I'm ready." Quatre's jaw was set as he accepted what the scientist had given him. Iria had never seen him look so determined in all of his life. She buried her face in her hands.

"Oh, Quatre, you're really going to go?" she sobbed. Though she knew little about the details, she knew that he had lied. Quatre refused to tell her about it, but she could see it in his eyes. This wasn't an ordinary trip.

"Yeah, I am," he said simply. He hugged his sister fiercely. She wiped her eyes on his sleeve.

"Oh, Quatre," she repeated in a whisper. She knew nothing she could say or do would stop him and she wouldn't try. She knew him better than all of their sisters, though they saw eachother only a little while she was in medical school, and she knew he needed his freedom. But it wouldn't keep her from worrying. "Be careful."  
"I will. And I'll see you during the holidays, I promise." Tears welled up in his eyes too. He would miss all of them. "Tell father…" He couldn't finish. He didn't have to.

"He knows, Quatre, he knows." She sniffled. 

"I'd hate to interrupt the moment," Instructor H cut in, "but you have a phone call." 

Quatre walked over to the vidphone. The face of a large Arabian man was on the screen. It was Rashid, the head of the Maguanac Corps.

"We await your arrival, Master Quatre," he said. His voice was stern, but his eyes were warm. Rashid was somewhat of a father figure to Quatre and very protective of him, though somewhat more understanding than his real father was. The two had become very close in the short time they'd known eachother.

Quatre smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you, Rashid. And I look forward to seeing you."

"As do we." He heard shots in the background. "The others wish to say hello."

"Hey, Master Quatre!" The three faces of Abdul, Auda and Ahmad appeared trying to squish together so he could see all of them. Out of the whole Maganac Corps, these men and Rashid were his favorites. They liked him just as much as he did them.

"We'll be there to meet you at the airport," said Abdul. He was distinguished by his sunglasses, which he rarely took off, even inside. Quatre had heard that he'd had problems with his eyes because of damage from the sun, which was apparently very intense in the desert. He'd soon see for himself.

"We can't wait to see you," they chorused. 

He wiped the tears from his eyes. "Me neither."

"He'll show those guys, right?" said Auda. A cheer erupted in the background. 

Quatre blushed. "I'll do my best." Rashid pushed them away, shaking his head.

"As they said, we'll meet you tonight," he said, his tone not betraying his own excitement. "Good bye."

"Bye." Quatre hung up. "Well, I guess I'd better finish packing." Iria burst into tears again. 

"Come on, let's leave him alone." Instructor H took her by the arm gently and led her out of the room. He lingered in the doorway.

"Was there something else?" Quatre asked him. He shook his head, but still didn't move. The scientist observed him carefully. 

"Are you sure…?" he began. "No, never mind." He knew he couldn't talk him out of it either. Instructor H didn't feel right about it. Quatre was too kind a person for this. He couldn't, no, shouldn't be going. It could ruin him for life. 

Instructor H cleared his throat. "Well, just one thing."  
"Yes?" Quatre waited for him to continue patiently.

"No matter what, don't lose that kind heart of yours. Don't listen to what other people tell you. Follow your own heart, Quatre. It will be hard, but try not to change. Promise me, for everyone's sake." With that said, he slipped quietly out the door.

"I'll try," Quatre promised softly. He would, but he knew it would be difficult. Something, whether it was the soul of outer space or just a gut feeling, told him that he would never be the same again. 


	8. Going Away Dorothy

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is not mine. 

Going Away- Dorothy

"No, I won't go!" The scream echoed throughout the halls and the four floors of the mansion. The servants exchanged glances and went about their business, pretending nothing was going on so they didn't have to get involved. 

In the richly furnished dining room was the source of the ruckus. She was a teenager of about 13 years, though over the winter she had grown and filled out, as well as discovered make-up, which made her look much older. She had long blond hair pushed back in a black headband and blue eyes. She would have been pretty, were it not for her odd forked eyebrows and the scowl on her face. 

Her grandfather, a wealthy noble by the name and title of Duke Dermail, sat at the head of the table and glared at her. His gray mustache twitched in anger. "You will go, and that's final, Dorothy. End of discussion. Now go to your room and start packing." Dorothy pouted at him. "Go! Now!" She fled from the room. 

Duke Dermail groaned. "She's as stubborn as a mule. Just like her mother," he said to himself. He poured a cup of tea. "Treize had better watch her." Truth be told, he would have been lying if he said he wasn't glad her cousin would be taking her off his hands for six weeks. Since her father died a couple months before, she was now officially under his care, much to his dismay. Crafty and intelligent, as well as ambitious, she would be a perfect addition to the Romefeller Foundation, that was for sure. Perfect, that is, if she would do what he asked of her. So far, that wasn't happening. 

Dorothy ran to her room, pushing past the braver servants who finally decided to come see what the fuss was about. She slammed the door behind her, making the family portraits in the hall shake. She threw herself on the bed. The sheets were a deep burgundy and made of velvet. The walls were clean and white, without a trace of a poster or any kind of decoration that could show a teenage girl lived there. The curtains were made out of silk and covered a large window seat. It was well furnished, but not very practical for a normal girl of her age. Then again, she wasn't very normal.

Dorothy reached under her pillow and took out a crumpled old photograph. A pretty blond woman was holding a baby wrapped in a pink blanket. A brown haired mustached man in a soldier's uniform had his arms around her. Both adults were smiling at the baby. She had a few wisps of blond hair and dark eyebrows that seemed to big for her tiny face. She was looking at them with wide eyes. Dorothy frowned. They all looked so happy. She couldn't remember the last time she saw her father smiling like that.

Dorothy stared at the photo for a long time. Then she crumpled it up and tossed it on the floor. She pulled out a suitcase from her closet and began throwing clothes in.

"Stupid Treize," she muttered. "It's all his fault." This never would have happened if her cousin hadn't opened his big mouth. He knew very well that she wouldn't want to go. Duke Dermail was thrilled of course. He didn't want her at all. If her father were alive, he wouldn't make her go. He always did what she wanted him to do, well, usually. Dorothy scooped up the picture from the floor and smoothed it out. She missed her father, even though she would never admit it. Admitting it would be showing her feelings, and she promised herself she would never do that. She couldn't let anyone know. She never cried, never really laughed and never smiled, only smirked. She didn't need other people's pity. She didn't want anything from them at all. Her parents both left her and her grandfather didn't want her either. The only person she'd thought she could trust was Treize, but he had let her down too. She was alone, with no friends. That was fine. She could rely on herself and herself alone. 

Knock. Knock. Knock. "Miss Dorothy!" It was Louise, her family's old maid. She'd been with them since Dorothy was a child, and after her parents died, came with her here as was requested in their will. If Dorothy gave any thought to how she felt about the matter, she didn't care. As for herself, it didn't matter at all if the woman were with her or not. 

Dorothy ignored her. "Miss Dorothy! Mr. Treize is here to see you."

Dorothy groaned inwardly. _What does he want with me now? Hasn't he caused me enough trouble? _Though she pretended she didn't, she used to enjoy Treize's visits. Out of all her relatives, he'd been her favorite. Her parents had been very close with him and invited him over frequently. He was also her mother's favorite cousin, although he was more than ten years younger than she was; and he served under General Catalonia in the Specials until he was killed. There were few men that General Catalonia had spoken of as highly as he did of Treize. He'd saved his life more than once before he died. But no on had been able to save him then. 

* * * Flashback* * *

Dorothy lunged at her father with a fencing foil. In one swift movement, he blocked it with his own and twisted it around hers, knocking it out of her hands. He pointed it inches away from her neck, than dropped his hand to his side and removed his mask.

"Excellent, Dorothy. You've improved since I last saw you, daughter."

"Thank you, father." Dorothy flushed with the praise, keeping her own mask on to hide it. He rarely gave anyone a compliment, least of all her. 

"I hope you've been behaving for your grandfather," he continued, removing his gloves. 

Dorothy took her mask off and scowled at him. "I don't know why I have to live there. Grandfather is so boring. Can't I stay here with you?"

"No." General Catalonia looked at her sternly. "And I don't want to hear you complain about it either. A lot of my soldiers would love to have the opportunity you do over the conditions they have here. Sometimes they have to camp out for weeks at a time in the wilderness with little food and a chance they could be attacked any second. Consider yourself lucky to be fortunate enough to be spared of that."

"I don't care. I want to see it. I wish to seen them fight. I love war. Just like… well, just like you do, Father."

"Foolish child," he muttered. Dorothy opened her mouth to ask him what he meant, but he didn't get the opportunity to elaborate.

"General Catalonia, General Catalonia!" Treize rushed into the training are. There was urgency in his voice that Dorothy had never heard before. His handsome face was worried and drawn.

"What is it?" her father snapped. He, too, was irked by Treize's tone. 

"Rebels are attacking the Specials base in the L4 colony cluster. We need you to send one of your troops to space right away. You must come with me. I have a shuttle ready."

General Catalonia looked perplexed. "Don't we have soldiers there to defend it?"

"They went to take care a another attack in a different sector. All that is left are the cadets from Lake Victoria that came for training. Most of them aren't used to fighting in space yet. Zechs just contacted me an hour ago. I left him in charge, but even the Lighting Baron can't take out an army by himself. Not that he has much a choice in the matter if we don't get there."

Now Dorothy knew what was bothering him so much. Though he cared about all his soldiers, he'd always taken special interest in the cadets, particularly those in the Victoria Academy. It would hurt him deeply if something happened to them.

General Catalonia frowned. He had also worked closely with the cadets at some point in each of their training. They were all eager and talented, but lacked the advantage of age and experience that the rebels most likely possessed. "Very well. I'll go. Stay here, Dorothy, until I get back."

"But, father!" Dorothy protested. She'd only been there a day and he was leaving her again.

"No, buts. I'll come back for you later to bring you home."

"It's not fair. I want to go with you," she cried out. It wasn't so much the fighting, like he thought, that made her wish to go. She just wanted to be with him for a change.

"No!" He barked. "And that's final." He stormed out the door.

Treize gave her a sympathetic glance and followed. Dorothy heard the door lock from outside and their footsteps as they walked away, leaving her alone again.

* * *End Flashback * * *

That had been the last time Dorothy saw her father. Treize had been the one to break the news to her. After that, their relationship cooled. He knew she blamed him and did everything in his power to get her forgiveness. She refused to give it, particularly after this further betrayal. If he really did want to apologize, he would have taken her from Duke Dermail the moment her father died. But he didn't. He could afford a good lawyer to get her out of it, not that her grandfather would fight him. Instead, he left her there. She supposed he didn't want her either.

Dorothy heard banging on her door. "Open up now!" It was Treize. Despite her contempt for him, even she couldn't avoid the note of command in his voice. Dutifully, she let him in.

"What do you want?" she asked bluntly.

Treize chuckled. "Straight to the point, as always, my cousin." He patted her head as if she were a dog.

Dorothy jerked away from him. "Just answer the question."

"If that is what you wish," he said gravely. He sat on her bed, motioning for her to join him. She did, though reluctantly. "I've come to persuade you to attend my camp.

Dorothy was surprised. She hadn't expected that. But she kept it to herself. "I didn't think I had a choice in the matter," she replied flatly.

"I suppose that's what Duke Dermail has told you," Treize sighed. I cannot argue with him, then, but I would much prefer it if you came out of your own free will."

Dorothy reached for a pillow, slipping the photo under the sheets. She clutched it to her chest. She wasn't sure why. It wasn't as if she needed security, she thought. "Nothing you say will change my feelings on the matter. I'll only go because my grandfather wishes me to." Her face was cool and calm. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing how she felt.

"Very well." Treize betrayed no feelings on the surface either, but he was upset. Dorothy had never gotten the care she'd needed from her father, who was never there, or Duke Dermail, who was always cold to her. He believed it was because she was the spitting image of her mother (except for the eyebrows, which apparently skipped a generation) and they couldn't look at her without it causing them pain. Treize understood, but it didn't justify a thing. The Dorothy that stood before him now lacked her mother's sweet disposition that she'd shared as a child. As much as he respected both of the, these men had no right to raise her. He wanted her to get away from that for awhile, act like a normal teenager. He knew she had no friends of her own, not that her grandfather would allow them to visit anyway. Duke Dermail was not very good with children; though he'd doted on his own beloved daughter and was naturally devastated that she died. The woman was no longer spoken of this house, which was hardly healthy either. Treize pitied Dorothy. She had never deserved this fate and what it did to her. 

"If you need me for anything, ask your counselors and they'll be able to find me. If not, my friend Zechs Merquise shall be available if you have any problems. Do you remember him? I used to bring him to visit you when you were a child."

Dorothy turned to him, suddenly curious. She remembered Zechs, though she'd heard Treize call him by a different name once. Milliardo, she believed it was. Though she'd conversed with him little, she recalled he was rather handsome, as well as an extremely skilled pilot. "Yes, I do. Now leave me, I must pack."

Treize nodded. "All right. I shall see you there, then." He stood up, bowed slightly and left, closing the door behind him.

Dorothy grinned devilishly. This could be interesting. Even more so if she remembered what she'd heard them talking about once. There was something mysterious about him. It would be amusing to find out what was under that mask of his. She definitely would have to do some research before she left. Yes, indeed, this could be fun. 

Almost done! Just one more double chapter left and a single chapter. Boy, this is a long prologue. Here's what's coming next.

Going Away-Wufei

Wufei snorted. "Nataku? A weak name for a weak woman." 

Meiran was enraged. "Me? Weak? I think not. You should be one to talk. You don't even fight. You're weak. Four eyes," she muttered rather childishly. Wufei ignored her and continued to read.

"Are you listening to me?" She knocked his glasses off.

He stood up. "Fight? What do I have to fight for?"

"Justice!" She proclaimed. "I fight for justice."

Going Away- Sally

"More junk, more bills, aha!" Sally nearly kissed the white envelope in her hand that she'd waited so long for. Finally, her test results were in. She tore it open and unfolded the paper inside. She scanned it quickly and screamed.

The cadets stopped what they were doing and stared at her curiously. Though they'd only known her for a few days, she was usually calm and collected. This must be big news indeed. 


	9. Going Away Wufei

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing does not belong to me. Any modifications to cannon details or facts are on purpose.

Going Away- Wufei

"So, here's where you've been hiding."

The Chinese boy scowled at the interruption and looked up from his book. "What do you want, Meiran?"

The girl glared back at him. "Now, Wufei, is that any way to talk to your wife?" She said in mock sweetness. He detected more than a hint of disgust in her voice.

Change Wufei frowned. "You're not my wife yet, woman," he reminded her. _And thank goodness for that_, he added silently to himself.

"Oh, right, how could I forget!" She sat down on the grass next to him, too close for his liking. He pushed her pigtail from his face. "You haven't proven yourself worthy of being my husband yet!"  
"Is there something you want?" he demanded, trying to keep the anger he felt from showing. If he did, he would be doing exactly what she wanted. 

Meiran matched with a scowl of her own. If anyone saw them, they would've believed that these two could possibly be engaged, but they were. Not that either of them wanted it. It was a tradition. One Wufei thought they could do without. From his scholarly point of view, getting married at fourteen years old was old fashioned for a number of reasons. For one thing, they weren't even allowed to choose their future spouse. As he'd learned in the brief time he'd spent in the outside world, that tradition had ended long ago. But, to the Long or Dragon clan, it still existed and it was up to Wufei to continue the traditions and take over as head of the clan one day. Meiran, granddaughter of Long Zi-Ling, the present clan head, bit her tongue for the same reason, as long as anyone else was around. She let her disgust be known to Wufei in private.

"I can't believe they chose you," she complained. "You're just an annoying little book worm. A know it all, a show off. You're not worthy of being my husband; I know it already. I'm the strongest in the clan. I am Nataku."

Wufei snorted. "Nataku? Please. A weak name for a weak woman."  
Meiran was enraged. "Me? Weak? I think not. You should be one to talk. You don't even fight. You're weak. Four eyes," she muttered rather childishly. Wufei ignored her and went back to his book. "Are you listening to me?" She knocked his glasses off.

Wufei stood up. "Fight? What do I have to fight for?"

"Justice!" she proclaimed. "I fight for justice." In her anger, she threw a punch at him. It was sloppy and he dodged it easily, then knocked her swiftly to the ground.

"Do you think attacking an unwilling opponent is honorable, Meiran?" he asked his fiancé. "There's no such thing as justice in this world, as you will soon learn."

"Then why do you stay? Go back to your boarding school friends. No one wants you here anymore," she cried.

"I only do what tradition demands I do." He picked up his book and glasses and left her in the dirt.

"Don't you walk away from me," she called to him. He didn't respond. Meiran shrank down, holding back tears of shame. 

* * * * * *

Master O looked up from the two mobile suits he was currently working on. One was almost completely white, with a red Mohawk, similar to that of Ancient Roman soldiers' helmets. It was the Prototype Leo, the first mobile suit, commonly known as the Tallgeese. The other was much more colorfully and interestingly decorated. It was, though he didn't want to brag some of his best work. It included a beam glaive and a Dragon Fang with a flame-thrower, handy in close combat and from a distance.

"Wufei, what a surprise! Come to visit Shenlong? Perfect timing. I just finished. Here are the controls." He handed Wufei the small remote. 

Wufei scanned the Gundam that would be his, if he were worthy. "I still don't see the point in this," he grumbled.

Master O chucked. "Trouble in paradise?" When Wufei made no reply, he continued, "Yeah, Meiran's a handful all right. But I thought you two were friends?" 

Wufei shrugged. "Perhaps we were, but that was a long time ago." He offered no further explanation and Master O didn't ask him. When Wufei wanted to talk, he would whenever and to whomever he chose. It was his way, and Master O knew better than to get on his case.

"Shame," he commented, but didn't say more. "Good luck, though."

The boy nodded grimly, wiping the dirt from his glasses. "Yeah, I'll need it with her, Nataku," he snorted. "I'll show her, there's no such thing as justice."

Master O rolled his eyes. "Like telling a dog not to bark. A piece of advice, Wufei. Don't start with her. If there's one thing I know about marriage, though I never have been myself, just say "Yes dear," and "Whatever you say, dear. "Got it?"

"Even if she asks if she looks fat?" Wufei inquired.

Master O grinned. "There are exceptions to every rule. Particularly when it comes to women."

Wufei sighed. "No kidding. Weaklings! The world would be better off without them."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Master O reasoned. "Like the saying goes, 'Can't live with them, can't live without them'. Shame you're getting married. There are a lot of intelligent women out there, less quarrelsome than Meiran that can really show their worth. I'm sure there's even someone for you. You ever date in that boarding school of yours?" Wufei made a face. "I guess not. Well, maybe you'll meet someone who'll change your tune. And, if not, well, Meiran will change your mind eventually. Or die trying."

Wufei coughed and pulled his hair back into a ponytail, tying it with a rubber band. "Yeah, right," he said. "Never going to happen." Wufei would soon learn to bite his tongue. For as they always say, "Never say 'Never'".


	10. Going Away Sally

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing still doesn't belong to me.

Going Away- Sally

"Excuse me, excuse me." Sally Po weaved in and out through the throngs of people in the hallway expertly, her eyes not straying from the stack of papers she was reading. Cadets greeted her cheerfully as she passed. She returned the courtesy with a wave of her hand, careful not to drop the many envelopes in it, but didn't stop to chat. It was just as well, since, even though she could remember the name of every single bone in the human body, she still couldn't remember half of their names anyway. Everyone here was friendly, and introduced themselves to her at one point or another since she arrived. Some of the male cadets had even been so bold as to ask her out. Sally was both flattered and surprised at the attention. She wasn't used to being around guys so close to her age, most of those in her squad were much older. Not that they hadn't tried to flirt with her at first, but they quickly learned that Sally was all business and little the social butterfly. She was nice to them and they respected her as a captain and their leader, but it went no further than that. And that was how she wanted it. Sally had never had a boyfriend actually, but she didn't really care. She had too many other things to do; too many responsibilities and dreams to worry about dating. Sally entered the common room, and situated herself in a secluded corner to open her mail.

Junk, junk, bills, junk," Sally started to regret telling her squad to forward all of this stuff to her. She tossed them aside for now. The next envelope was more welcomed. Sally nearly kissed it. Her test results! She tore it open and unfolded the letter. In the next second, the whole room was shaken by a piercing scream.

The cadets stopped what they were doing and stared at her. This was not the calm, somewhat introverted girl they had known these past few days. It must be big news indeed.

"Oh my God! I passed! I passed! I'm going to be a doctor!" Sally jumped up and down and threw her arms around the nearest person to her, who happened to be one of their top instructors. He simply laughed and patted her on the back, a very different reaction than she would have expected. General Septem would have had a cow if she did that to him. 

"Congratulations!" the cadets cheered through their giggles. 

Sally could scarcely believe it, though it was really no surprise. She'd aced that exam. At seventeen, she was exceptionally brilliant. In the time she was in the military, she'd risen quickly in the ranks. Now she was already a captain, but her squad felt she deserved even higher. Even her disagreeable superior had to admit it. But while this honor paid the bills, Sally's true passion was saying lives instead of destroying them as an Alliance member. She'd only graduated a couple of weeks before. Now, all her work finally paid off.

Sally praised her ancestors one by one by name, starting from the family legends to the more recent grandparents. Finally, she reached the most important. "Thank you, Papa," she said silently. If only he could see her now. _He can, Sally,_ she reminded herself. _He can. I'll make you proud, father, I promise._ She looked briefly up to the ceiling, than bowed her head. He most certainly knew. But there were those on Earth who still didn't. And they would be just as proud.

"I'd better call my mother!" she exclaimed and excused herself quickly. Sally sprinted to her quarters. As a guest of a much higher rank than the cadets, she had her own private room and phone. Colonel Treize had insisted upon it, saying that there was enough time later for being like all the others and it was the least he could do to repay her. Sally thought it was rather odd, and somewhat irresponsible that their facilities were so lacking in medical personnel that they needed the expertise of someone, who was at that time not even a real doctor yet, not to mention counselors. But Treize had made a good impression on her over the phone, so she said nothing. And she would do anything to get away from General Septem, at least for a little while. And now, hopefully, for good.

She punched in her old number and waited at the video screen, expecting the face of a mischievous little boy or girl to appear. Instead, there was nothing but static. 

"That's odd," she said to herself aloud. She knew she sent money for their phone bill. But even so, it would say it wasn't in service. Maybe one of her siblings messed with the phone? Yes, that could be it. Cory, her twelve-year old brother was always tinkering with their electronic devices. "Yeah, that's probably it." Sally relaxed significantly. Something tugged at her brain but she pushed it to the back of her mind. He would put it back together eventually. In the meantime, though, she couldn't wait. 

Sally rummaged through her suitcases and pulled out an unwrapped package of stationary. Her little twin sisters and Cory had given it to her before she left. Little dragons surrounded the border. Sally wasn't really much of a letter writer, and when she did, it was on professional stationary. The gift was impractical, but she treasured it never the less. Now was as good as ever to use it.

"Dear Mama," she began. 

__

And my beloved siblings,

I have wonderful news! I'm a doctor! I can't wait to see you at the end of the summer. Maybe by then, I'll have a new job closer to home. I'm here on Earth now, in Europe. Camp begins the day after tomorrow. We're going tomorrow to set up ahead of time, so we're going to leave early in the morning. I've already gotten my assigned cabin. I hope the girls there are well behaved, unlike some little children I know. If you're wondering why I'm writing to you instead of calling, it's because a certain someone, who shall remain nameless, seems to have been messing with the phone. Anyway, I'm really excited about it. I miss you.

With all my love,

Sally

She folded the letter and stuck it in its matching envelope. She would have to remember to send it before they left. Her mother didn't know it, but the family doctor had offered her an opportunity to join his practice. Most of his clients were very wealthy and came at the littlest sniffle; however, he had been a dear friend of her father's. Though no plans had been made, she could go home for good now. She truly was looking forward to this summer and the future beyond. Things couldn't be any better. 

__

To be continued

Preview: Going Away- Zechs and Noin

"I can imagine. She looked pretty smug this morning when she gave me this." Noin consulted her clipboard again. "Sheesh, I think I've got the lifestyles of the rich and famous cabin. Sylvia Noventa, Dorothy Catalonia," this earned a sympathetic groan from Zechs, "Relena Darlian…"

Zechs jumped to his feet. "What did you say?"

"Relena Darlian," she repeated. "Why, what's the matter?"  
"Shut the door!" he demanded. 

"Wh-what…" she stumbled over her words. Noin thought for a moment that he'd lost his mind.

"Do it!" Noin obeyed, too confused to argue with him further.

"Zechs, what's going on?"


	11. Going Away Zechs and Noin

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing doesn't belong to me. So sue me. But please don't.

Going Away- Zechs and Noin 

"A camping we will go, A camping we will go. Heigh-ho the cheriooooo-" The four cadets held that last note for a minute or so, making their comrades laugh. "A camping we will go."

A tall, short-purple-haired girl clapped, leaning against the doorway. A clipboard in the crook of her elbow, she was dressed in the same uniform as the other Oz trainees. "Bravo!" she said with a grin. 

They looked up at her. "Hey, Noin!" the boys chorused, smiling back. Hearts appeared in their eyes and saliva at the corner of their mouths as they stared at her lovingly.

Lucrezia Noin pushed her long bangs out of her eyes. "How's it going, guys?" she asked casually.

The singing cadets jumped up to greet her. As nice as she was dangerous, Cadet Noin had quite a following among the male cadets, though outside of her classmates and friends, most were quite intimidated by a woman who was the second best student in a military academy. But her charm and personality had won these guys over and most of them were putty in her hands, each vying for her attention at one point or another. None had ever succeeded, but they never stopped trying. 

One of them put his arm around her waist. "Better now that you're here," he said flirtatiously. He was handsome, with dark brown hair and blue eyes, but Noin looked past him as she did all of the others. She grabbed his wrist and twisted it around, pulling him off her. Then she tossed him to the ground. His friends burst out laughing.

"Nice try," another cadet cracked. His name was Otto and he was a good friend of hers. "You know she won't look at anybody but Zechs," he said, reminding them of his friend and personal hero.

Noin blushed, but didn't try to argue. She knew it was true. She'd been hopelessly in love with the man, who was also her best friend, since the day she'd met him.

"Aw, darn. Some guys get all the luck," he complained good-naturedly. He offered her his hand and she hoisted him back up. "Thank you very much for not putting me in traction."

"Anytime," she joked. "Speaking of Zechs, where is he anyway?" the others shrugged.

"I don't know," Otto replied for all of them. "Why not ask his Excellency?" He pointed behind her.

Noin spun around and sure enough she saw the smiling face of Treize Kushrenada staring back at her. Self-consciously, she smoothed out her uniform. "Your Excellency, forgive me. I… didn't know you were standing there." She blushed further at the display he'd seen. It was one thing to have her superior and instructor see her fooling around, another hearing them gossip about her and his best friend. She hoped this wouldn't get back to Zechs.

"Not a problem," he replied. He stepped out into the hall, signaling her to follow. She did obediently, shutting the door behind her so the others couldn't hear.

"I didn't want to embarrass you in front of your friends any more than I may have already did, not that they don't already know, but I thought I'd congratulate you on your success. You'll make a fine teacher, Cadet, or I should say, Lieutenant Noin."

"Thank you, your Excellency," She said, bowing her head. She bit her lip to symbolically contain the pride that bubbled up inside of her. "I'm honored that you remember me."

"How could I forget such skill?"" he said rhetorically. "And in such a young girl too. But then, no gender on the battlefield *, right?"

"Um, right." The things she'd said at that age! How embarassing. But it was true and she still believed it. Women could fight just as well, or better than men could. It was just a matter of trying. Most of her fellow cadets and the officers agreed with her philosophy. If mobile suits were without gender, so should the soldiers be inside them. Of course, one might wonder about the coincidence of her ranking, but she shrugged it off when asked. He was the best and that was that, no use killing herself over it. It didn't mean she wasn't a feminist.

"Well, it was a pleasure to see you again," he said charmingly, kissing her hand. Noin shivered. He was handsome; the other girls were right about that. But her heart still belonged to another and his did too. Colonel Une, who unfortunately would be joining then, was believed to be his current lover. Personally, Noin felt that the woman was not all there and rather scary looking, but there was no accounting for taste. Maybe Treize just saw another side of her. _Most people are afraid of Zechs_, she thought philosophically.

"By the way, Zechs should be in his room. He takes longer to get ready than a woman. I beg your pardon. He was looking for you earlier, as well." Treize winked at her. "He's been sure to mention to me your skills a number of times."

Noin thought her face couldn't get redder if she put paint on it. Put a couple of slices of pepperoni on it, and cheese, and she'd probably be mistaken for a pizza. True, he respected her skills as much as she did, but to mention it to Treize… She'd have to either thank him or smack him later for that. 

* * * * * *

"Knock, knock." Noin poked her head into the room. Zechs looked up from his book. He put it down when he saw her. 

"Come on in," he greeted her. She did, leaving the door ajar behind her. It was one of the Academy's rules: no members of the opposite sex in the dorm unless the door was open. Zechs and Noin always respected this rule, even after they graduated, which was more than a lot of their other friends could say. But they had reputations and grades to keep up. No use losing that over such a little thing. _Not that anything is going to happen anyway,_ Noin thought a little bitterly. Though they had gone to the prom together and were practically inseparable, their relationship was strictly platonic, much to her dismay. In the many years of their friendship, he'd never hinted that he wished for a change. But he never was with anyone else either. 

Noin perched on the foot of his bunk, a safe distance away. He smiled at her; at least she thought he did. It was hard to tell with the mask. Not once had she seen what was under it. For all that Zechs and Noin were so close, there were plenty of secrets he kept from her. At first it worried her and hurt that he wouldn't confide in her. Eventually though, she decided if he didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't bring it up. She cared about him too much to let him go for that. And she kept secrets from him too. Not life or death secrets, but secrets all the same. Her feelings about him for starters. As for the mask, well, he still looked pretty good with it and she didn't feel like shattering her illusions about his good looks. Not that it would really change her feelings in anyway, mind you. Zechs never mentioned it, of course, but she sensed he was grateful for that. 

"Did you get your cabin assignments?" he asked, holding up a clipboard like hers. 

She nodded and showed it to him. "Cadet or non-cadet?"

"Non-cadet. I'm sharing with Otto? You?"

Noin glanced at her clipboard briefly. "Non. Except for one girl, but I don't know what's the story with her. My cabin's other counselor is someone named Sally Po. Ever hear of her?"

Zechs thought for a moment. "Oh, yeah. Treize mentioned her. She's from the Alliance."

Noin looked alarmed. "An Alliance member? With OZ cadets? You've gotta be kidding me." 

He shook his head. "Nope, she works with General Septem, poor girl. She's our age, but is a captain in charge of her own unit. Supposed to be a genius or something. Treize hired her himself, actually. She just finished medical school, so he asked her to help out. He couldn't get a hold of that nurse from the colonies, apparently."

"Oh, I heard about that. I've gotta say, I was surprised. I thought Lady Une was enough for him."  
Zechs chuckled. "Yeah, me too. She's a handful all right. She's pretty happy about this though, that's for sure."

"Yeah, I thought she looked exceptionally smug this morning." Noin consulted her clipboard again. "Sheesh, I think I've got the lifestyles of the rich and famous cabin. Sylvia Noventa, Dorothy Catalonia," this earned a sympathetic groan from Zechs, "Relena Darlian…"

Zechs jumped to his feet. "What did you say?" 

"Relena Darlian," she repeated. "Why, what's the matter?"

"Shut the door!" He demanded. 

"Wh-what-why?" she stumbled over her words. Noin thought for a moment that he'd lost his mind.

"Do it!" Noin obeyed, her head spinning. She was too surprised to argue.

"Zechs, what on Earth is going on?" She turned back to face him and gasped. His mask was gone. Blond bangs hung over his forehead, not quite covering his blue eyes. Noin felt her heart pounding. He was ever bit as handsome as she had imagined and then some. "Zechs?"

He sighed. "Sit down, Noin. This may come as a bit of a shock." She hopped on his desk chair eagerly. "I guess I'll just start at the beginning. My real name is Milliardo Peacecraft-"

Noin fell of the chair onto the soft carpet. "Peacecraft? As in the rulers of the Sanc Kingdom, Peacecraft? You're a prince?" In all her wildest dreams, she had to admit, she'd never thought of that.

"Keep it down! Someone might here you."

"Oops, sorry," she said sheepishly. Noin clamped her mouth shut.

Zechs/Milliardo calmed down. "Yes, about eight years ago, the castle was destroyed and my parents were killed. My sister and I were the only ones who managed to escape."

"You have a sister?" Noin inquired. He'd never mentioned that before. Then again, he'd never mentioned he was a prince either.

"Yes. Relena Peacecraft, or rather, Relena Darlian, the daughter of the Vice Foreign Minister of the Earth Sphere Alliance. I thought she was dead up until a few years ago. Minister Darlian was from the Sanc Kingdom. He visited my sister and me often when we were children, but he had none of his own. Yet when he surfaced in the political world a few years ago, he had a daughter the same age as my sister named Relena. But I couldn't confirm it. Until I met her myself, two years ago."

"Two years ago?" A memory tugged at her. Zechs and Treize had gone on some training mission that year ^. When they came back, Zechs barely would talk to anyone, including Treize. Noin had just thought he was brooding about something or other, so she let it go.

"Yeah, that was the reason," he replied, as if he'd read her thoughts. "I didn't tell her who I was though. I… well, I didn't think I was worthy of her."

Noin nodded sympathetically. Things were starting to make sense: the mask, the secrets, why he seemed so ashamed sometimes after a battle, even when he won, why he disliked the Alliance so much. She felt like she had a million questions to ask him. The first was "Does Treize know?"

Zechs nodded. He was a friend of our family. He helped me get in here, so I could get my revenge on the Alliance. He doesn't know about Relena though. Please Noin, you can't tell her about me. If she knows what I've done… I'm sure if she doesn't know, Darlian has still passed on most of our family's ideals."

Noin put her arm around him. "Your secrets are safe with me. I'll watch out for her. Don't worry about it… Milliardo Peacecraft."

He smiled sadly and hugged her. "Thank you, Noin. I knew I could count on you."

She grinned at him. "You always can. I got your back, don't worry. I'll be here when you need me. And I'll help you get it back. I promise."

"Thank you," he repeated. "I'll be honored to have you fight by my side. "Zechs paused. "And I'll miss you when I leave." 

Noin felt a tear trickle down her cheek. She'd almost forgotten that. Whereas she would be staying at the Academy as an instructor, he'd be working for Treize. It would be a long time until they saw each other again, if at all. She pushed this thoughts aside and wiped her face. "I will, too. But let's not think about that. We still have the entire summer to hang out."

"Right." He put his mask back on. "We'd better open the door before someone, er, suspects something."  
Noin nodded and opened it. Standing outside was Otto and a couple of their other friends.

"Hey, guys!" he said devilishly. "Are we interrupting something?" They cracked up.   
If Noin thought she couldn't blush any more, she was mistaken. "No!" She pushed past them, leaving them rolling about on the floor.

"Cut it out," Zechs said crossly. She could hear moans of pain and a slamming door down the hall.

Noin's cheeks burned. She'd have to get back at them on her own later for that. Oh boy, Zechs might, but after this, they certainly weren't going to miss her!

Author's Note: Yeah, it's over! Man, that was a long prologue. No preview this time. Let the real plot begin! Ciao. 

* Heero's Episode Zero

^Relena's Episode Zero


	12. First Day:Part One

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing does not belong to me. Don't sue. Just share.

Summer Camp

First Day- Part One

"Scientists are perplexed by an unexpected meteor shower last night at approximately 1:00 AM. The shooting stars were believed to be in the vicinity of Northern Europe, yet no crash site has been found. Some hysterical witnesses claim that the shower was actually an invasion by giant aliens. No UFOs have been confirmed as of yet, however, researchers say, this phenomenon…" Relena turned the dial on her portable CD player/radio. Loud rock music blasted out of the headphones. 

Minister Darlian winced. "Could you please lower that, my dear?" he asked.

Relena looked at him over her shoulder. "Huh?"  
"Turn the music down," he repeated, louder this time. He looked more than slightly exasperated. 

"What? The music? Oh." Relena did as she was told and took her headphones off her ears. "_So_rry," she said, pouting. She frowned at her father.

"Thank you." He ignored her tone. "We should be landing soon," he added. 

"Oh goody," Relena replied. She rolled her eyes in disgust and made a face. Her father sighed. He'd had to deal with this attitude the whole trip. His hope had been that they could spend some time together now, before she got there. He should've known better. Relena was normally a forgiving child, but she was also stubborn too. Guess which one she was being today, despite his efforts to change that.

From Relena's perspective, however, on plane ride wasn't going to make up for a whole summer, plus missed birthday parties, Christmases, etc. The camp was six weeks; she was on vacation for eight, seven now. But who was to say that he'd be spending that last week with her? Or even that he'd be there when she came back. It didn't seem likely at all. _Most people envy me_, Relena thought to herself, _but really they're the lucky ones_. If someone asked her what the worst thing about being a politician's daughter was, she could up in one simple word: everything. The Darlians were good to her, she admitted it. They gave her everything a girl could desire: money, fancy clothes, toys, her own horse even. But if anyone could prove that money didn't buy happiness, it was Relena. There was still something missing. Not love, there was plenty of that. But it was only a thin thread tying them together, a thread that threatened to snap at any moment. Yet he kept pulling it tighter and tighter. Relena would give up everything she had to roll it up and tie them together, even for just one summer. But no, she would be shipped off to camp, with all the other rich brats whose parents didn't care about them. And then he would go on a plane again to who knows where and for who knows what. Top secret Alliance business, she supposed. Whatever it was, it apparently was more interesting than spending time with his daughter. And definitely more interesting than this place. After all, what could be exciting about an ordinary, normal, summer camp?

* * * * * *

The day before…

Duke Dermail stopped in the middle of the dirt path and turned around. "Come along now, we haven't got all day," he snapped. 

Dorothy rolled her eyes. "I'm coming, I'm coming_." Maybe he'd be slow too if he were carrying all the suitcases,_ she complained to herself. The duke had repeatedly told her that no job was too demeaning for one of their noble stature. Consequently, he had his servants (and his granddaughter) do everything for him, giving the excuse that he was an old man. An old man, who brought down five deer on his last hunting trip, that is.

Dorothy lifted her suitcases with a grunt and followed her guardian into the large wooden building called, according to the faded sign, "Main Office/Mess Hall." Treize awaited them on the front steps, waving. He was dressed like a golfer on safari in tennis shoes, khaki shorts and a matching short-sleeved top, and a visor. Her cousin apparently wasn't as familiar with the wilderness as he claimed; though he was an expert hunter. _But we won't be doing any hunting anyway_, she recalled. 

A tall woman with her hair braided into two buns and wearing glasses and a military uniform stood next to him. Dorothy wondered how her cousin was still breathing, the way she was on top of him like that. _Talk about clingy._ The woman looked stern from a distance, but as they approached, Dorothy observed that she was staring at Treize with a look that could only be described with one word: _love_. She suppressed the urge to gag. Public displays of affection, even if it was just a look, sickened her. Especially when it involved a relative. Little did she remember, her parents used to look at each other in a similar manner (though perhaps not quite as obsessive) and she had reveled in it. But that was a different time and a different Dorothy. 

"Welcome!" Treize called to them, keeping his visor on with one hand. He put the other on his companion's arm.

"Hello," Duke Dermail replied, with much less enthusiasm. He elbowed his granddaughter.

Dorothy scowled at him and waked him in the knee with her suitcase. He moaned in pain, but she ignored him, having little sympathy for the elderly and none for him. "Hello, cousin, so nice to see you again," she said sarcastically. 

Treize wisely ignored her tone. "And you as well. May I introduce you to my dear friend Lady Une? She'll be in charge of the camp.

"Pleasure to meet you," Lady Une said. She didn't sound very pleased. She shook Dorothy's hand, squeezing it tightly. Once they were off Treize, her eyes looked stern and fierce. The word "psycho" flashed in bright lights in Dorothy's mind. She'd have fun with this one.

"Wonderful to meet you, too," Dorothy replied. "Treize has told me so much about you!" She smiled her best false smile.

The woman had no reaction whatsoever. "Hmm," she murmured, and that was all.

Dorothy was near yawning already. "If it would please you, I'd love it if you showed me to my cabin," she continued, putting all she learned in that awful charm school to use.

Lady Une gave her a look that said, "Are you kidding me?" She opened her mouth to reply, but Treize jumped in before she could speak and possibly start a fight with his young but fiery relation.

"I'm sure Lady Une is going to be very busy until the campers arrive," he said quickly. He thought for a moment. "Zechs should be here. Lady Une, can you send for him? He can accompany you. Yes, that's what we'll do. I believe you'll be in Lucrezia Noin's cabin, so he'll know the way. He can introduce you."

Dorothy smirked. She had no interest in her counselor. _Perfect_. This was more like it. "Goodbye then, Grandfather."

Duke Dermail, still rubbing his sore shin, looked up at her. "What? Oh, yes, I suppose so."

"Unless you would like to stay for a cup of tea?" Treize offered, out of sheer politeness only. 

His uncle glanced at him in surprise, clearly not expecting the offer. "No, no, I think I'll be quite all right. I'll show myself out of this… camp, thank you very much." He wrinkled his nose at the word "camp." If he himself didn't like this place, he had no qualms about sending his granddaughter there: all the better, in fact. "Goodbye, Dorothy. Behave yourself." He scurried down the path, out the gate and into his limo, as fast as his old legs could carry him. 

Treize frowned in disgust. _No hug, no kiss, no nothing, not even a handshake, for heaven's sake_. _What kind of barbarian has he become? I swear, since Alicia died…_

Dorothy waved to her grandfather, her back towards Treize, missing the look on his face. "Whatever you say, Gramps," she whispered, with a little laugh. "I'll miss you… Not!"

* * * * * *

"How did we get stuck carrying all this stuff?" Noin complained, setting her box down and wiping her forehead. The sun beat down on her with ferocious intensity, as if it were personally bent on making her suffer. "It's a good thing I brought a lot of suntan lotion," she added. 

Zechs shrugged and picked up another with ease. "A downside of being friends with the one in charge. You're an instant volunteer, even if you didn't."

"So this is your fault then?" she teased. She wasn't really upset. Noin wasn't one to shy away from helping someone out, or exercise for that matter. She wasn't one of those stereotypical girls, who was afraid she'd break a nail if she lifted five pounds. "What is all this stuff for, anyway?" she asked.

"Equipment mostly," he replied. He peaked into his box. "I've got jump ropes, ring toss, I think, and a few deflated basketballs in here."

"I have fencing uniforms in here," Noin said, checking hers as well. "Treize sure is going all out for this, considering, well, you know what. But I've gotta say, I never thought of him as being into kids."  
"Are you kidding me? He loves them, babies, toddlers, elementary school kids, brooding teenagers (like myself) all types. I'm surprised he doesn't have any of his own yet, though I doubt Lady Une would be crazy about the idea. Although if he asked… But anyway, why do you think he still visits the academy even though he doesn't teach anymore? Last Christmas, he went to an orphanage dressed up as Santa Claus to give out presents."

"Aw! That must've been fun," she commented with a laugh. 

"Yeah, it would have been if he hadn't made me dress up like an elf."

Noin doubled over. "You? An elf? With the pointy ears and everything? Ha ha ha ha!" Her laughter could be heard all the way to the colonies.

"It's not funny, Noin," he growled. 

"Oh, yes it is!" She clutched her side. "At least… at least, he didn't make you… dress … as Mrs. Claus," she choked out and started again, nearly falling on the ground.

"Get up! You're embarrassing yourself. And me," Zechs told her, frowning. 

"Lieutenant Zechs! Lieutenant Zechs!" The teens snapped to attention as a second year cadet rushed up to them, panting. 

"What's the matter?" Zechs barked. He hadn't meant to sound so rude, but something about the messenger's harried look was making him nervous.

"His Excellency wishes that you come to the office immediately," the boy replied. They exchanged a look.

"Did something bad happen?" Noin asked. The urge to laugh was suddenly gone. He shook his head, making her sigh with relief.

"No, nothing's wrong. It's just that his Excellency's cousin, Miss Catalonia, has arrived and-"

He was interrupted by a loud groan as Zechs' face fell. "Oh no! Not Dorothy! I'd rather have an emergency, preferably one that I won't come back alive from. God help me."

"Who? What's so bad about that?" Noin asked, lifting her eyebrows in confusion. 

"Dorothy Catalonia is Treize's cousin, as he said, and it's your bad luck that she happens to be in your cabin. She's the most sarcastic, evil person I have ever met in my entire life. As she might say, once upon a time, according to my so-called best friend, she was a kind and gentle little girl. Well, I don't buy it. She's a terror, that's what she is._ Satan _would be afraid of her. And unfortunately, she has a crush on me. She probably told Treize to get me and he can't refuse anyone anything. I'm going to kill him." 

"Calm down Zechs!" Noin shouted, appalled by his sudden burst of emotion. And surprised too. She didn't think it was in him to rant like that. "She can't be _that_ bad."

"Beg your pardon," the cadet come in, surprised and shocked that he even dared to interrupt those who were once his upperclassmen and idols, now his superiors, "but I don't think so. Lady Une was quite disturbed when she sent me. More than usual, I mean. I didn't see the girl myself though. It could be something else, but…"

"See, even he says it, and he hasn't met her! She's a devil; I swear it. And no one will ever get a bit of kindness out of her, you'll see. You'd better start praying right now, Noin."

Noin rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Oh, come on. You've got to be exaggerating a little. Maybe she's changed. I'm sure she's grown up from when you last saw her. Teenagers are like that. I mean, you wouldn't believe it, but when I was younger, I used to be such a… I don't know what. Tomboy, my mother would say. I constantly used to beat up the boys on my street… Zechs what's that look for?"

He was staring at her, trying to suppress a snort. "Um, I hate to break it to you, my dear, but you still do that," he snickered. She smacked the back of his head.

"Well, fine," she huffed. "But it could happen to someone else."

"I'll believe it when I see it," he replied, folding his arms across his chest with an air of superiority. "Come on, let's get this over with." He jogged up the hillside path that led to the office, Noin lagging slightly behind him, to meet their doom.


	13. First Day:Part Two

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment.

Summer Camp- Chapter 13

First Day- Part Two

Noin and Zechs came to the office to find two very impatient women waiting for them. One was Lady Une, wearing her glasses in what the cadets liked to call "Colonel Une Mode". She didn't look happy, not that she every really did. She tapped her boot against the wooden floor, so hard and so frequently that it was a miracle she didn't stop a whole in it. The second woman was a bored-looking teenager, her bare arms folded across her ample chest.

Zechs gulped. Dorothy Catalonia. She was wearing a blue sleeveless dress and heeled sandals, hardly the clothes for hiking in the wilderness. She spotted him before he could run. Her mouth spread into an evil grin.

"Zechs Merquise, what a lovely surprise!" She exclaimed. She ran and threw her arms around the horrified man's neck.

"Uh, nice to see you too, Dorothy," he said awkwardly. He glanced at Noin, his eyes pleading for help, as he struggled to get clean air into his lungs and avoid the strong odor of her perfume. .

Noin glared at the girl. She felt an instant dislike for her. For a 13 year-old girl, Dorothy wore enough make-up for a 30 year-old newscaster. She was perfectly manicured, well kept (except for the oddest eyebrows she had ever seen). Already Noin could tell that she was probably a snob. Knowing what she did about Duke Dermail and the Romefeller Foundation, she was very rich and of a very high society background.

_Imagine if she found out what Zechs really is_, Noin wondered. If Dorothy were after him now, imagine if she knew he was a prince. Combined with her lust and seeming ambition, poor Zechs would never get a moment's peace. She must make sure she would never find out. Still, her status was far better than Noin's and in this case, she would make a better match for him. Though Noin herself wasn't poor in her own right, her family was pretty down to Earth, and didn't mix much with the upper class. Never in her life would she be able to pass for a lady. She was too much of a tomboy. But Dorothy, on the other hand, …

_The perfect girl for a prince,_ she thought bitterly. Though she hated to admit it, her hatred was partly from jealously. Zechs and Dorothy looked like the perfect pair, their pale features and nice clothes (unlike the rest of the soldiers, who were clad in T-shirts and jeans, Zechs was in a white button down shirt and slacks). And the way Dorothy was draped all over him… Noin had the sudden urge to say, "Get your hands off my man." But what she did say was almost as bad and surprised even her.

Dorothy finally tore her eyes off Zechs for long enough to notice her. When she did, the look she gave her was clearly one of distaste. "Oh… and who is this… girl?"

Noin didn't know what came over her, but something, perhaps Dorothy's condescending tone, or the way Zechs was looking at her for help, or the way Dorothy was all over him like a bad suit, whatever it was made her reply, without a moment's hesitation, "I'm his girlfriend."

"W-w-what?" Dorothy's jaw dropped. Zechs' almost did too. Whatever he was expecting Noin to say it wasn't that. But he quickly recovered, and when the shock made her let go of him, he went over to Noin, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her to him.

"Yep. Dorothy, I'd like you to meet Lucrezia Noin. My girlfriend," he added, just in case she didn't get it the first time. Noin smiled sheepishly, but inside was dying.

_Why on Earth did I say that? Oh my god! What was I thinking?_ Still, she had to admit it; it felt good to have him this close. _He smells nice,_ she thought, with an inner giggle.

Zechs was thinking something along those lines. Or would have been, were he not paralyzed with fear a few moments before. He didn't know what on Earth had gotten into her. But he liked the idea. He liked it a lot. It was perfect. Absolutely fool proof. Or at least he hoped so.

Dorothy raised a forked eyebrow at him suspiciously, her pride not allowing her to believe this quite yet. "And when did this happen?"

"Um," Zechs scratched his head thoughtfully, "uh, how long has it been Noin?"  
"It'll be a year next month," she said quickly. "You didn't forget our anniversary, did you honey?" she asked, digging her nails in his arm. If she was going to do this, she may as well have fun with it. And he may as well suffer for it.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, sure. I mean no. Of course I remember, er, Lucy." The brief glare she gave him was revenge enough for teasing him like that- she hated being called that.

Lady Une narrowed her eyes at them. "This is the first time that I've heard of it. But then, I don't pay attention to the personal affairs of cadets. If you'll excuse me, I have more important things to attend to." With a disgusted sigh, she stuck her nose in the air and pushed past them.

"Important things, yeah, right," Zechs snickered under his breath. "Giving Treize a bath, real important."

Noin chuckled, not because it seemed so preposterous, but because it was probably the truth. But Dorothy nearly rolled her eyes. "What an odd woman," she remarked. And that was the end of that.

"Zechs," she cooed, "could you help me carry my bags to my cabin? Please?" She smiled sickeningly.

Zechs gulped; apparently he still wasn't safe. "Um, I'm sure Noin will help you. You know, my, er, girlfriend," he added, just in case she had forgotten. "She's your counselor after all."  
Dorothy made a disgusted face. "_She_ is my counselor? You have got to be kidding me." She was hoping to be rid of the woman. It was a mutual, not one-sided hatred, and now that she considered Noin a rival… Oh dear. Nothing would be safe.

"I wish," Noin grumbled. But she put on her best fake smile. "Of course, I will, but I'm sure Zechs will want to come with us anyway. Wouldn't you dear?" She glared at him behind Dorothy's back, daring him to refuse.

"Oh, um, I…" Zechs racked his brain trying to think up a believable excuse. So far he wasn't getting anything. Noin wasn't making this easy for him that was for sure. And if this could work, it wouldn't do for her to be angry. And so far that wouldn't be easy- something was pissing her off, and not just Dorothy herself either. Oh well, he'd figure it out eventually. But he wasn't going to make the situation any worse. He didn't have much of a chance in hell right then; he may as well do as she said.

"Yes, that's a wonderful idea!" Dorothy put in before he could reply. "We have so much to catch up on." She tucked her arm in the crook of his elbow, literally pulling him a way from Noin. She pressed herself close to him- too close to be considered legal_. If only the counselors weren't allowed to carry their guns with them during the day_. Zechs had at that moment what was a pleasant vision of a bullet going through his head.

"Carry my bags," she ordered over her shoulder, and then ushered him along.

Noin's blood was way past the boiling point. "Little brat. Spoiled bitch," she murmured under her breath. She picked up the suitcases, which possibly contained two elephants each inside, that was how heavy they were, in each hand, and followed. She sighed dejectedly. "This is going to be a long summer."

A shrill whistle broke through the stillness of the woods. Were there any wolves nearby, they would've been appalled at the cheap imitation of their calls. As appalled as the woman it was directed at was.

"Hey, good looking," a cadet crowed. "What's cooking?"  
Sally frowned in disgust. At least the guys she'd worked with in the Alliance were sort of gentlemen. These guys had all acted like barn animals since she got there. "Excuse me, I don't have conversations with sexist ass holes," she replied and pushed past him.

"Men," she muttered. "Who needs them." That was the problem with soldiers. The lack of desirable women around made them so horny that they lost all self-respect. "It's hormones," she told herself. "Almost like a disease. Prescription: take one fist to the jaw and don't call me in the morning. Oy vey!" Were all men her age this immature? Or was it just soldiers? "And people wonder why I'm single. Maybe I met a guy who wasn't a sex-starved pig, who could actually carry on an intelligent conversation, I'd consider it, but no."  
Sighing, she looked down at the paper in her hand and matched the number up with the building in front of her: Girls' Cabin #5. "This should be it." The cabin was small quaint, with a nice front porch and a great view. "Well, I guess this is going to be home for the next few weeks." She put her stuff down, and went back out to sit on the porch, shielding her eyes from the setting sun as she gazed at the forest and mountain landscape.

It was beautiful here; she was glad she had come. In the distance, she could see a pretty redhead walking down the path toward her, duffle bag in hand. She waved to Sally cheerfully. "Hi!" she called.

"Hello," Sally reluctantly got up from her relaxed position to greet her.

"I'm Catherine Bloom. Call me Cathy. I'm going to be your CIT."  
"Oh!" Sally vaguely remembered Treize saying something about CITs. But she'd expected another cadet. Something told her, besides the lack of uniform, that this girl was just an ordinary civilian. She seemed bubbly and friendly, though not in a naïve way. And Sally had the distinct inclination that, behind her happy façade, there was something that troubled her deeply.

"I'm Sally, Sally Po," she replied, reaching out to shake her hand. "I'll be one of your counselors. I don't know where the other one is though. Maybe she-"

"Would you hurry up!" An angry voice once again destroyed the peacefulness of the forest. Catherine and Sally exchanged glances.

"What the hell was that?" Cathy wondered. Sally shrugged. They were about to find out.

Dorothy stomped down the path impatiently, dragging a depressed Zechs along with her. "You're so slow," she complained, glaring at Noin as she said it.

Noin glared back. "Would you like to carry one?" she asked through clenched teeth, resisting the urge to throw all three suitcases at her.

Dorothy looked from her to the suitcases as if she were shocked. "Me? I think not. I'm a lady. And I think you'd be pretty strong, being a common soldier and all," she sneered.

"Why I ought to-" Zechs popped out of his gloom to stand between them and attempt to prevent them from scratching each other's eyeballs out.

"Now Noin, don't do anything you would regret," he hissed in her ear. In a louder voice, he said, "Actually, Noin was the second in our graduating class. And she happens to be a baroness, actually."

Dorothy raised her forked eyebrows. "Really? I would've taken her for nouveau riche, if anything."

Noin felt like she was going to explode. There was truth to her words; she did earn her title through school. Her family was well off, but they'd earned that too. They were some of the most prominent merchants in Italy, and Noin had always been proud that they worked for their wealth. But Dorothy acted like that was something embarassing and she couldn't help telling the spoiled brat off a bit. "Well, unlike you, I take pride in knowing that we actually worked for what we have. What does your mother do for a living, paint her nails?"

Dorothy gaped at her, truly shocked this time. "Don't you ever talk about my mother!" She released Zechs and ran into the forest, leaving them there with her baggage.

"Um, Noin, I should've mentioned this before, but Dorothy's mother died a long time ago. Her dad and her grandfather raised her. Treize thinks that's why she's always so…" His voice trailed off, leaving the adjective out.

Noin gasped. "Oh no! I never would have said anything to her if I'd known." She smacked Zechs on the back of his head. "Why didn't you tell me this before? I've got to apologize to her." She took off after her, abandoning Dorothy's things.

Zechs thought for a moment. "I think I'll leave them alone now. Yes, that's a good idea." Leaving the bags that Noin had dropped behind (he could send someone to bring them later), he turned around and walked the other way, to get as far away from chaos as possible.

Sally and Catherine were stunned as a blonde teenager shot past them into their cabin. Though they only caught a glimpse of her face, she looked extremely upset. They were even more surprised when another, older, girl came running out of the forest.

Noin stopped at the steps for a moment to catch her breath. She pushed her long bangs out of her face. She finally noticed the two other girls, who were gazing at her in disbelief. "Hi, I'm Lucrezia Noin. Nice to meet you," she panted. "Gotta go." She jumped up and went into the cabin, closing the door behind her.

Cathy stared at it, scratching her head. "Um, who was that?"

"I believe that was the other counselor," Sally responded, equally perplexed and slightly amused.

"Should we go in?" The younger girl wondered. She had barely finished her sentence when they heard someone shouting, "Leave me alone" and the sound of a pillow making contact with flesh. A moment later, Noin came out of the cabin.

"Um, I think she wants to be alone for awhile," she said sheepishly. "So, this looks like a comfortable place to sleep, no?"

In other circumstances, Catherine would've told her she was nuts. But, judging from what she had just witnessed, now she simply said, "Um, yeah, that might be wise."

Sally rubbed her ears. "Talk about loud. Who was that girl?"

Noin sighed. "Dorothy Catalonia. Daughter of the late General Catalonia, granddaughter to Duke Dermail, head of the R-" She bit her tongue quickly. Treize had said that Sally was an Alliance member, and it wouldn't do to tell her, or a civilian for that matter, about the Romefeller Foundation. "And our first camper," she finished, hoping they wouldn't catch her mistake. They were both frowning slightly.

But then Sally said, "Something tells me she's not a very happy one."

The soldier nodded. "That was my fault," she admitted. "I said something that I shouldn't have said, but didn't know it. She's not a very pleasant person generally and I, er, lost my temper a bit. I shouldn't have said it to anyone, actually, but it turns out that she doesn't have one… It's a long story," she sighed.

"Well, we still have a day for you to tell us," Catherine said sensibly. "I'm Catherine, that's Sally, by the way. And, while we all get acquainted, I think it best we find some extra sleeping bags, and maybe some bug spray. It seems that we may be out here for the night. Any idea where we can find that stuff?"

Noin thought for a moment. She definitely did know where, or rather, whom she could get it from. In fact, it was that very person who had gotten her into this mess in the first place. Her face lit up in a grin. "I know just the person. And he just happens to owe me a favor. Possibly so much so that we don't have to sleep out here tonight after all."

Preview for Chapter 14- First Day- Part Three

The first boy to arrive was automatically Zechs' least favorite. He felt, if not hatred, then a strong animosity towards him. The teen glared at him with deep blue eyes, which were odd for his otherwise Asian features. Zechs stared back, not willing to let the sullen youth frighten him, though the look he was giving would have scared any other man.

"Hi and welcome!" Otto spoke up, clearly oblivious to what was going on between his charge and his partner. "I'm Otto, and he's Zechs. We're your counselors, obviously enough. What's your name?"

The boy turned to Otto, glaring at him now instead, though with not the same obvious dislike. The, slowly, as if he were unaccustomed to the words that came out of his mouth, he simply stated, "My name is Heero Yuy."


	14. First Day: Part Three

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment.

Summer Camp

First Day- Part 3

"Ahhh!" Zechs yawned hugely. He was sitting up in his sleeping bag early the next morning, enjoying the sunrise. The sky was a bright palette of reds and pinks and yellows that would make even the most colorblind person breathless. Except for sailors, of course. "Red sky at morning, sailors take warning," he recited. This didn't bother him, though, as he was no sailor (even though it meant he would be in for a nasty storm later on). He nudged the soldier in the sleeping bag next to him, so that he too would get the chance to enjoy nature's beauty.

"Five more minutes," Otto grumbled, rolling over. Zechs nudged him again with a bit more force.

"Ow!" All right, a lot more force. He sat up to glare at him. "What do you want with me now?"

"Look!" Zechs pointed to the horizon where slightly more than three quarters of the yellow orb had already appeared.

"It's the sun. We see it everyday. Go back to bed. I like to sleep in on vacations." He promptly plopped back onto his pillow and pretended to snore.

Zechs frowned at him. "You just don't get it." He felt bad immediately after he said that, Otto really didn't do anything wrong. But Zechs' mother had loved the sunrise. She used to wake him up on summer mornings just like that one when he was a child, and bring him to the highest point in their castle so they could have the best view. He hadn't seen it for some time now. A soldier's world had no room for such beautiful thing; at least, not a solider such as himself, who'd give up his family's valuable beliefs for revenge, and was completely focused on that goal. Zechs sighed. He would have to share this with Noin later. He was glad she knew his secret now; there were just some things that he thought Treize just couldn't understand.

"What I get is that you're a pain in the you-know-where. It's your fault that we had to sleep out here," Otto complained from the ground. Lack of sleep and a sour back had put him in a sour mood, and as much as he admired Zechs and would do almost anything for the man, he was more than a bit irritated with him that morning, and justifiably so.

"What did you expect me to do?" he asked defensively. "Let strangers sleep outside because of my mistake? I mean, if it were just Noin, that would be one thing..."

The screen door to the cabin opened and the purple-haired woman, her bangs sticking up at awkward angles, poked her head out the door. "Why are you guys so noisy?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Even if it were just Noin, I'd do the very same thing," he corrected himself quickly. His own long hair was standing on end as well, but for quite a different reason.

"Good morning!" The blond girl with braids, Zechs recalled her name was Sally, greeted them with enthusiasm as she came to the door. She had apparently slept very well. The younger girl, Catherine, followed behind her and also greeted them quite cheerfully. Despite their eviction from the night before, they were none the worse for wear. Only Noin appeared to have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. After glaring at Zechs once more, she stomped down the rickety wooden staircase, heading to the Mess Hall for breakfast. The girls, exchanging confused glances, hurried after her, and the men rushed inside to dress quickly, before joining them.

They were just inside when the very thing that had put Noin in such a foul mood rushed over to him.

"Zechs!" Dorothy seemed to have completely returned to her old self, and threw her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek and getting dark red lipstick all over his face. All this was done while Noin glared at them, which of course was part of her goal.

"Well, don't you look pretty this morning?" Dorothy addressed her with a smirk. Noin simply walked away in reply, though Sally would find her in the bathroom later, combing her short hair vigorously and trying to apply the make-up Catherine had generously lent her without any knowledge of it.

"Um, well, see you later," Sally said. She, Catherine and Otto found themselves a table far away, abandoning Zechs to the complete alteration of perspective on the morning that occurred within the next five seconds.

Relena automatically had a bad feeling about the place as soon as her father was driven away in his taxi, back to the airport to get on his next flight—to the colonies. Kids her age or younger, dressed in uniforms, were all over the place; an intimidating woman, her hair tied back in two buns, stood in the midst of the crowd, shouting names through her megaphone and pointing to the counselors.

Relena dug into her pink pocket book (her mother had insisted upon her bringing it) for her instructions. On a crumpled piece of paper were written in someone's unfamiliar script the names Lucrezia Noin and Sally Po: her jailers for the next six weeks of her life. Dragging her suitcase along with her (Mrs. Darlian had finally given up and packed it herself), Relena approached the two women, whom Lady Une (that was the woman's name, according to the tag stuck on her uniform) had pointed out. Standing with them was a cheery redhead, whose own name tag indicated that she was a CIT named Catherine, a blond girl with scary eyebrows, and a short brunette dressed in the uniform of a cadet.

"Hi, what's your name?" The counselor named Sally asked amicably. The blond woman smiled at her kindly, but it didn't make Relena feel much better about her situation.

"Relena Darlian," she mumbled.

"Huh?" The two older teens leaned closer to hear her.

"Relena Darlian!" she shouted at a much higher volume, nearly destroying their hearing.

"Oh!" The other counselor, Noin, who had been frowning before, instantly lit up, and shook Relena's hand vigorously. "Hi, it's so nice to finally meet you!" For a brief moment, Relena feared she was going to do something strange, like hug her, but fortunately the soldier restrained herself. "You can call me Noin."

"Er, ditto. Call me Relena." Relena raised her eyebrows at the woman's sudden unfathomable enthusiasm. Although she was used to a lot of gushing from people at school because of her father's income, Noin sounded more like she was greeting a long lost sister than someone who was just rich and had a famous father. And her enthusiasm seemed sincere too. But despite this weirdness, Relena felt herself warming to the older girl, both of the girls in fact. Catherine too seemed pretty nice. Her roommates, on the other hand, might take some getting used to.

"Oh, Miss Relena!" I've wanted so much to meet you!" After that introduction, Relena was next accosted by her would-be fan club president. This girl (the blond with the scary eyebrows) did remind Relena of those other people described. She, like Relena, was also rich—it was obvious since she was clothed in Gucci from head to toe (Relena could tell that thanks to her mother's extensive lessons in fashion). And what was that awful smelling perfume she was wearing? It was probably expensive, but Relena had to step back before the stench made her vomit.

"My name is Dorothy Catalonia," the girl introduced herself haughtily. "I'm sure we'll be wonderful friends." She smiled at her, but the smile was repulsive, and definitely not genuine.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Relena replied unconvincingly. She wasn't that stupid that she didn't automatically distrust this girl. Intent on ignoring her, she turned to the other one. She was surprised to see a Specials trainee there—the cadets were supposed to be separate from the "normal" kids. Nevertheless, despite her dislike of violence, Relena felt herself instantly warm to the girl the moment she spoke.   
"What's your name?" she asked, trying to make her tone sound much more friendly than it had a second ago with Dorothy.

The girl started suddenly at being addressed. Then her lips spread into a wide smile. "Hilde, Miss Relena," she said shyly. Stranger or not, this was the kindest anyone her age had been to her since she joined Oz. She too liked Relena from the start.

"Oh, don't call me "Miss," the wealthier girl responded amiably. "I'm just Relena."

"Oh, I could never call you anything but "Miss"," Dorothy exclaimed, unasked, her voice maple syrupy sweet. "You're so wonderful, and much more important than our humble selves." She glared at Hilde, annoyed that she gained her trust so quickly. Not that she really wanted to be friends with the girl—no way—but she felt an acquaintance would be in her favor. Surely Relena overhead things from her father that Duke Dermail, or even Treize, wished to know. She seemed an intelligent girl, but was probably quite naïve and didn't realize the extent of the information she heard. Yes, "friendship" with this girl could definitely be beneficial. _I'll show them just how useful I can be._

While this exchange was going on, Noin couldn't help watching Relena (as inconspicuously as possible, mind you). At first, she saw nothing in her that resembled Zechs, either in appearance or personality. But then when she saw Relena give Dorothy an instant glare at what she knew was a direct insult of her new friend, Noin was struck by how much her eyes reminded her of Zechs. Both had a fierce, determined look, especially when defending those they cared about. Of course, Relena's weren't as hardened or as cold as her sibling's icy blue; there was still quite a bit of innocence in them, that of a child with trust in the human race. Zechs had lost that trust the moment his parents were murdered, but she still had it. And in that moment, Noin vowed to protect Relena, so she wouldn't lose her faith the way her brother had. She would do that for her, and for Zechs too.


	15. First Day: Part Four

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing does not belong to me.

Summer Camp

First Day- Part 4

While Noin and Sally were trying to sort their girls out and to keep Dorothy from alienating the other campers, Zechs was having mixed feelings about his own group. First, there were his two CITs, by the names of Alex and Mueller. Both were only a few years into the Victoria Academy, and, although she didn't know it, on the roster for Noin's first class ever. He would pity her later- the boys were brash, rude, arrogant, and stuck-up. They were also lazy, and two bad CITs didn't make up the work of one good one. Of course, they had one trait that worked in her favor: they would do anything to impress a beautiful woman. That would make Noin's time bearable, certainly, but no matter how long Zechs' hair was, they didn't give a damn about him.

Then there were the campers themselves. So far, five had shown up, almost at the exact same moment. None of them had a parent or guardian with them, which he thought was odd. They also had a strange way of looking about them as if they were taking in the entire place inch by inch. Also, though Zechs was unaware of that at the time, they were all from the colonies.  
The first one to arrive was automatically Zechs' least favorite. He felt, if not hate, than a strong animosity towards him, without even hearing a word out of his mouth. In return, the boy glared at him with deep blue eyes, odd for one clearly of Asian descent. Zechs stared back, not letting this sullen youth get the better of him, though his glare was quite intimidating for a boy of only thirteen.

"Hi, welcome!" Otto had spoken up, oblivious to the staring contest going on between the two. "I'm Otto, that's Zechs, we're your counselors, obviously enough. What's your name?"  
The boy turned towards Otto, now directing his glare at him. Then, slowly as if the words were strange on his tongue, he simply stated: "My name is Heero Yuy."  
Heero Yuy. The mere name touched a cord in Zechs' brain, then he remembered where he had heard it before, it was the name of the pacifist leader of the colonies, who shared similar ideas to the Peacecrafts' and was also assassinated. Ironic that this boy was named for him; Zechs wasn't sure he even knew the meaning of the word. He knew the look of a soldier when he saw one, though he didn't label him as such right then. And somehow, he also knew that, their fates were intertwined, for good or for ill. And right then, he didn't feel that it was for good.

Catherine tossed her red curls out of her face and scanned the clipboard in her hands, feeling quite official. Noin and Sally were currently at a counselor's meeting, so she was given the charge of getting the girls settled into their rooms and recording bunk assignments. She could admit that she enjoyed the power. It would be good experience if she ever tried for circus manager one day. Her boss said she would be good at it, that she was more organized and intelligent than he was. And he didn't give praise lightly.

Chewing her pen cap, she found an empty space and penned in the names Sylvia Noventa and Amanda Venti, both daughters of Alliance members. Many of the non-cadets present were in fact related to important Alliance officials, just like Relena. Treize had made a bold, but brilliant strategic move, allowing them in his camp. But of course, Cathy didn't know anything about this; she simply figured their attendance had to do with being wealthy. And these girls were certainly wealthy. She had caught a glimpse of some of the clothes they brought as they were unpacking, especially Dorothy's. The idea of that much money spent on a pair of jeans made Cathy, who'd always lived a modest living, made her head spin.

"Catherine?" A voice broke through to Cathy's sensibilities, before she could ponder what she might do with that amount of money. She looked down to see both Hilde and Relena. Relena had been the one to speak; apparently she had been elected spokesperson of the pair. Though she was rather reserved, Cathy learned quickly that it wasn't out of shyness, but out of a desire to speak carefully and well. She was a diplomat's daughter after all, although she dressed a lot more casually than the others.  
"Yes?" she asked, though she had a pretty good idea what they were going to tell her, and was glad of it. Both girls seemed lonely, an emotion she could quickly recognize, having felt it so often herself. They would be good for each other, and Cathy felt herself being concerned for both of them, even Hilde, who, despite being a cadet, seemed to be a very sweet girl. "Should I put you two down as bunkmates?" she asked with a smile.

The two girls nodded, looking very serious. "Yes, please," Relena added politely.

"Great!" She added their names to her list. She checked it over once more, and satisfied that everyone was accounted for, said, "Okay, let's all go to the mess hall for dinner, all right?"

"Okay," the campers chorused. All except for Dorothy, who just groaned "Whatever" and slid out of her bunk, which she alone occupied. Very quickly the other girls had gotten the impression about her everyone else had had initially and that, and the fact that there were an odd number of girls, had made it that way.

"Great!" she repeated, ignoring Dorothy's lack of enthusiasm. She led the girls two by two, onto the gravel path that would bring them to their meal.

She could see Zechs' CITs (who, fortunately, had only arrived that morning, sparing them a possible co-ed cabin) being followed by a gang of disgruntled teenage boys. They looked miserable at the prospect of spending six weeks with those two bums, as Cathy had taken to calling them. All except for five, whose reactions were quite different: one, a Chinese boy watched those in charge with a look of haughty disdain; another, a cheerful American with an unusually long braid simply laughed and joked about them behind their backs. The blond boy next to him was also smiling, and the only other one talking. It looked as if he was trying to get his companions' spirits up. Then there was a Japanese boy with blue eyes, staring ahead with no sign of emotion, except for the occasional glare he gave to anyone who came to close. This was, of course, the Heero Yuy Zechs had encountered before, and he still hadn't seemed to warm up to anyone. Cathy had seen glaciers less cold than he was. And there was one more.

Catherine had the sudden feeling that she was looking into a photo album of her father's boyhood. That long bang was so distinctive; it could hardly belong to anyone else. And those green eyes, only one of which could be seen…

Catherine started to run toward him, forgetting her responsibility to her charges. Only a word from Relena stopped her in her tracks and brought her down to earth.

"Miss Catherine! Are you all right?" she asked, sounding quite as is _she_ were the older one and Catherine was in _her_ charge. It only proved Cathy's suspicions that Relena was a lot sharper than she let on; she'd probably follow in her father's footsteps one day, even if she didn't want to know.

The knife-thrower nodded, her brain still feeling fuzzy and muddled, as though she had just woken from a dream. "Yes, I'm fine Relena. Don't worry about it," she said. She turned back, but all the boys were gone.

"Triton," she murmured, so quietly than no one could hear her. It was insane, but she couldn't help believing it was truth. She knew it. All her daydreaming hadn't been for naught: her brother was alive.


End file.
